In the prequel, Garden of Shadows, Malcolm rapes his step-mother, Alicia, resulting in the pregnancy that produced Corrine. At the end of the book, they run away together and get married.
In the sequel, Petals on the Wind, Cathy is pregnant with Chris's child and has a miscarriage. In Flowers in the Attic, Corrine reveals to her children that their father, Christopher Sr. Andrews's (see above) " Dollanganger" novels depict a highly dysfunctional family dynamic with clearly incestuous origins. One character fathers children with his sister, daughter, and granddaughter. Amid controversy, Rice stated that her novels recognized the agency of young women and their freedom to choose lovers.