Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookpossum
On the issue of the two storylines that you raise gmw, I thought they did tie together. The ghost of Gordon was released, as it were, after he finally managed to get through to Susan’s machine with the vital information about Michael, thus for once doing something of real value for others instead of himself. Indeed, of value to all life on earth!
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I actually thought this was all headed to some big Gordon-saves-the-day thing, and so it sort of was, but look at what it actually turned out to be: Gordon was walking along Noel Rd - that the reader had no reason to recognise but Gordon did - and saw a woman running out screaming. We later learn that this must (presumably) have been someone discovering that Ross had been murdered, and Gordon passes this on to Susan who passes it on to Richard.
So, on the Richard side of the story, any of them could simply have heard it on the news. I can see that it was convenient to use Gordon, having bothered to keep him around this long, but his involvement didn't really add much to this aspect of the story because it wasn't critical to it (as far as I could see).
On the Gordon side of the story it's just confusing. Up to this time, Gordon had desperately been trying to talk to or to leave messages with Susan (or someone, anyone) and never succeeding. Now, suddenly, he succeeds and disappears. What was holding Gordon around as a ghost? Why was reporting this murder, about a man that he (as far as I could see) barely knew, a resolution for him?
Indeed it was good for all life on Earth, but it was inconsistent with the general expectation that ghosts hang around because of something unresolved for themselves (just as is the case for our 4-billion-year-old ghost). Perhaps the resolution was that Gordon finally got to finish the call he started while he was still alive (albeit about a different subject).
I'm not really that hung up about it, I just found it an unsatisfying aspect to the book.