Ghosts

“[T]he way he lazily outsourced his integrity to Yorkshire, so that romantic implications of miners and moors would do all the hard work for him.”

Geography and place become important motifs in the narrative as Nina draws a contrast between life in the city and life in the country. Where they grew up was a point of contention between Nina and Joe in their relationship, as southern England is viewed as the seat of power and the place where more educated, wealthier people live, and northern England is a more industrial, working-class region.

“Perhaps Dad always anticipated, somehow, that he should download the passing of time to papers, Filofax pages, letters, and postcards, in case those files inside him ever got wiped.”

Nina sees the stacks of paper in her father’s office as a metaphor for cataloging his memories. The idea of preserving memory becomes an important motif in the narrative as Nina wrestles with her father’s memory loss and wishes there was a way to preserve it. This filing system is analog, and later she wishes she could somehow upload his memories to the internet to preserve them for all time.

“I had thought of these men as offerings from Mother Destiny—hand-selected possible partners, chosen especially for me.”

Nina’s first experiences in online dating feel magical, and she romanticizes the app. Lola, however, gives her a dose of reality when she explains how the algorithm works and that there is nothing mystical about it at all.

“He glowed like an ember—his eyes shining, his beard golden brown, his skin burnished from sunbeams. His tousled hair looked like it had been washed in the sea and disheveled by the windy afternoon.”

This passage uses figurative language and hyperbole to describe Nina’s first impressions of Max. Everything about him, including his handsome appearance, is too good to be true. The moment underscores how powerful physical attraction can be and how it sometimes obscures a person to the truth of a situation.

“I could count at least three elephants now omnipresent in the room of our friendship from my side, and I’m sure Katherine could count at least three more of her own.”

The author uses the familiar “elephant in the room” idiom to describe the mounting tension between Katherine and Nina as they continue to avoid discussing the problems in their friendship.

“The black silhouette of delicate branches spread across the indigo sky like a chinoiserie plate.”

The author uses a simile to describe the gate at the Ladies Pond. It is a special place for Nina, an oasis in the middle of the city and a spot that brings her peace and tranquility.

“[W]e journeyed through the new lands of each other’s bodies, marking our territory wherever we went. We colonized each other.”

This passage uses a metaphor to describe Nina and Max’s intimacy in the early days of their relationship. When they first have sex, Nina wonders who else has experienced Max’s body and she describes herself as staking her claim on him, like a country conquering and colonizing another land.

“I got ghosted last week. […] It’s when a person just stops speaking to you instead of having a break-up conversation.”

The idea of ghosting becomes a prominent motif in the novel as Nina and Lola use the dating app Linx. When Lola is ghosted, she must explain the term to Nina, who is new to online dating. Ghosting is a way for people to end a relationship without having a difficult conversation face to face.

“I felt like a flying trapeze artist—one of them was the jumping-off platform, the other the catcher, and I was desperately trying to keep things swinging without a fall.”

This passage uses figurative language as Nina describes the anxiety she feels when Max meets Joe for the first time. She feels as though she must balance both of their feelings and make everyone feel comfortable, even though it’s an impossible task.

“The bones of the flat shuddered from the volume.”

Nina’s apartment is important to her, a symbol of her success and self-sufficiency, and when Angelo begins playing loud music, it’s more than just disrupting; Nina experiences it as an assault. This passage personifies the home to emphasize the violent effect of Angelo’s music pulsing through the building.

“My solitude was like a gemstone. For the most part it was sparkling and resplendent—something I wore with pride.”

Nina explains that she wears her singleness like a badge of honor, and for the most part, it has served her well as she has learned to take care of herself. However, as she extends the metaphor, Nina explains that sometimes the sharp point of the stone causes her pain, suggesting that she is no longer happy being alone.

“His face looked pale and fragile, like unshelled crab meat, and his eyes were beady and small, making him look even more like a crustacean.”

This passage uses figurative language to describe Joe’s disheveled appearance on the morning of his wedding. Nina repeatedly makes mention of Joe’s appearance, particularly in contrast to Max’s rugged good looks.

“The shambles of raising children was what I craved—the toys on the floor, the Disney soundtrack filling a kitchen, the rainfall of tears followed by the rising steam of laughter.”

Minutes after Olive’s tantrum, the entire family is dancing in the kitchen. Nina notes the chaos of family life and longs to experience it for herself. This passage uses figurative language to juxtapose the relief of laughter to the storm of the tantrum.

“Spring had flung its door wide open. Summer soon. Long days, long nights, light at all hours, illuminating everything. Nowhere to hide.”

This passage anthropomorphizes the seasonal shift to emphasize its sudden onset. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal with more daylight and more opportunities to spend time with loved ones outside. Nina considers the season ahead and, far from looking forward to it, realizes she has no one with whom she can share its joys.

“His face looked as if the plug that connected him to the world had been yanked out of its socket.”

Nina describes her father’s illness in many ways throughout the narrative as she tries to make sense of it. This passage uses a simile to compare Bill’s countenance to a machine that’s lost its power source.

“The author’s therapist had told her that the pursuit of love in adulthood is just like an expression of missing our mums and dads—that we look for intimacy and romance because we never stop wanting parental security and attention.”

Nina considers the theory her friend shared with her, which helps her understand why her visits to Albyn Square feel so painful. This leads to an epiphany as Nina sees that all relationships will fail if people are looking to replicate a happy childhood. Nina learns that she must find that security within herself instead of depending on another person for her well-being.

“It had the classic cadence of a rom-com dialogue—uncomplicated and yet loaded with subtext.”

Alderton incorporates several romantic comedy tropes throughout the narrative, such as the love triangle, the best friend’s wedding, and the terminally single, quirky sidekick friend. In this meta moment, Nina fantasizes about having a romantic, effortless reunion with Max, but instead she is hit with the reality of his abandonment.

“That I didn’t have to see all the humanity of my otherwise steely mother explode out of her like a geyser.”

Bill’s fall precipitates the climax of Nina’s conflict with her mother. Nancy’s emotional breakthrough allows Nina to see her mother as a human who is suffering as an overwhelmed caregiver and grieving wife. The moment is a turning point in their relationship, after which they agree to work together for the good of Bill and each other.

“I imagined going back to myself as the ghost of summer future, telling that girl in her high heels and jeans what this first online date with a man would lead to.”

The motif of ghosts appears again as Nina wishes she could warn her former self to avoid Max. The passage alludes to Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, in which three ghostly visitations change the trajectory of Ebenezer Scrooge’s life for the better.

“[E]verytime you ‘change your mind’ in such an extreme way, it takes something from a woman. It’s an act of theft. It’s not just a theft of her trust, it’s a theft of her time.”

Nina explains to Jethro that what men see as a game or a conquest is cruel to women. In standing up for her friend, Nina also stands up for herself, telling Jethro the things she wishes she could tell Max. She knows he probably won’t change his ways, but asserting herself in this moment gives her some closure on her own relationship.

“Maybe friendship is being the guardian of another person’s hope. Leave it with me and I’ll look after it for a while if it feels too heavy for now.”

In a touching moment, Lola offers to safeguard Nina’s hope of finding a partner until she can fully heal from Max’s abandonment. Lola shows herself to be a true friend, empathizing with Nina instead of offering empty platitudes or suggesting ways to fix her problems.

“She placed the phone in the palm of my hand and the screen shone with bright uncertainty.”

The story ends as Lola and Nina consider using the dating app again. The description “bright uncertainty” reflects the ambivalence Nina feels toward online dating, which has brought her great happiness as well as heartbreak.

“I walk past the flaking red-painted front of The Institution which, in daylight, looks like a kid’s party entertainer without its costume.”

Growing older is a prominent theme in the novel. The club, which looks inviting and thrilling at night, looks garish and ridiculous in the harsh light of day, suggesting that Nina is leaving behind the partying days of her twenties for a different kind of life.