Greenglass House

“It had a sound like a gulp of frigid air.”

By personifying the bell to sound like it is breathing, the author intensifies the sound of its ringing. Personifying the bell also foreshadows the way Greenglass House will become a character in its own right. The sound is ominous to Milo because it disrupts his peace and his plans for a restful vacation.

“He didn’t mention having been a foundling. That was really none of her business.”

A foundling is a child abandoned by their parents or caregiver and discovered by someone else. Milo’s feelings about being adopted are intensified by the knowledge that he was a foundling, making the odds of him learning about his birth parents very low. This passage reveals his sensitivity to the subject.

“The next staircase had four loud steps and two that murmured, all in a row.”

The author uses figurative language to describe the sounds the inn makes in its aged state. The sounds are not frightening to Milo because he is intimately familiar to him. His personification of the stairs shows that to Milo, the house feels like a familiar old friend.

“[H]ere a collection of iron-banded teak chests piled up like a giant’s discarded luggage.”

The attic becomes a treasure trove for Sirin and Negret in their quest to unearth the secrets of the inn. The metaphor communicates both the size of the large trunks and emphasizes that Sirin and Negret are still children in an adult world.

“[N]ow Milo was looking at them through Negret’s eyes. That made a difference.”

Using his role-playing persona not only provides Milo with an escape into adventure but also allows him to experiment with different aspects of his personality. While embodying Negret, Milo is braver, more willing to accept change, and more attentive to details that help him solve the mystery.

“Who do you want to be?”

Meddy’s simple question about choosing a role-playing persona echoes throughout the narrative. As Milo works to parse out the identities of the guests, he also questions his identity without the full knowledge of his backstory.

“It flung itself at the windows in shining sheets that were lit peculiarly by the reflection of lighting on the snow, and from somewhere on the other side of the hill came the battering-ram sounds of thunder.”

The author personifies the storm to intensify its violence. Just as the storm rages outside, the conflict inside the inn escalates as the guests turn on one another in suspicion.

“A relic is a trace of something—something that survives or remains to remind us of something that once was.”

Small objects of value become an important motif in the narrative as each guest is looking for a certain item, several small items go missing, and tiny objects are found and gifted. The objects come to symbolize the characters’ histories, personalities, and connections to the house and each other.

“But would you try and keep from moving anything? My stuff is right where I like it.”

Milo is a creature of habit who does not like when plans go awry. The order he keeps in his room symbolizes his personality. When someone begins stealing the guests’ belongings, the act unnerves Milo because he does not like knowing someone is snooping on his things. The irony is that Meddy cannot move his things because she is a ghost.

“[T]he moonlight glinted on a world that looked as if it had been coated with a layer of silvery glass. Then the winds started, and the glazed world began to groan and creak and even occasionally to crack, sending noises like gunshots echoing through the night.”

The snowy weather is a prominent part of the story. It first creates a cozy, wintry atmosphere at the inn, but the snowfall turns into a blizzard that traps the guests at the inn. Eventually, the weather progresses to a full-blown winter storm that knocks out the power, plunging the house into darkness as the intensifying weather mimics the escalating emotions inside the house.

“Meddy tapped his shoulder and Milo whirled, opening his mouth to ask how she’d gotten out of the living room so quickly. She put one finger to her lips and whispered, ‘Shh.’”

The author drops hints throughout the story that Meddy is a ghost. This scene exemplifies one of the moments where the reader questions Meddy’s corporeality.

“[T]he surface crackled under his boot like the crust of sugar when you bit into a frosted cookie.”

Food is an important motif in the story as the trapped guests do not have much to do other than share regular meals and enjoy Mrs. Caraway’s delicious cooking. The author uses figurative language to compare the thick snow to a holiday treat.

“He had the chance to learn something about his heritage, and if Milo had anything to say about it, that chance was not going to be wasted.”

Milo still holds many uncertainties about his past, but he chooses to not be bitter. Instead, he helps Owen learn about his identity. Milo’s gracious attitude reflects his empathy and his generous spirit.

“[S]ecrets were a sort of side business for him, the way secrets often are for people in Nagspeake.”

Dr. Gowervine’s story about Skellansen reveals more about the complex dynamics of Nagspeake culture. As a city of outlaws, the town is built upon a foundation of secrets and subversion.

“The camera was what you’d call a red herring. A fake clue. It doesn’t have anything to do with anything.”

Georgie explains how she used the tactic of misdirection to lead Clem to Greenglass House. The author also employs misdirection in the camera plotline to lead the reader to believe that it is significant to the mystery plot.

“And it made a spectacular clanging. Clang clang clang clang clang! Like an out-of-tune church bell.”

The author uses onomatopoeia to describe the loud sound the luggage rack makes as Milo tosses it over the fire escape to attract attention. The fire escape is important: It is the site of Addie’s death, and Milo uses it to escape multiple times.

“The smells of baking ham and pies and bubbling cranberry sauce with orange drifted through the first floor to mingle with the pine and bayberry and peppermint scents of the candles.”

Aside from unfolding the mystery, the author also establishes a cozy, wintry atmosphere as Christmas arrives at the inn. She uses the familiar smells that characterize the holiday season to immerse the reader in the festive atmosphere that exists alongside the growing tension and mystery.

“[M]aybe it wasn’t Meddy’s words at all but the sudden chill that cut through the dining room that made everyone pause. It was as if there were a window open somewhere that had let in a sharp gust of wind. But there was no open window, and the front door was shut tight.”

This moment is another clue to Meddy’s true identity. People often describe feeling a cold wind when a ghost arrives. Meddy’s presence becomes more palpable as she becomes angry over Vinge’s desecration of her father’s character.

“[S]he flickered like a lightbulb about to die.”

Now that he knows she is a ghost, Milo perceives Meddy differently. The author compares her fading spiritual presence to a dying light bulb, demonstrating the way her physicality is connected to her emotions.

“It was a painful sound, full of misery and sadness. And fear.”

Meddy is a kind, unobtrusive spirit, but she transforms herself into a terrifying phantasm to force Vinge to leave the house. When she screams, it is as if she is releasing all the grief he caused her by killing her father and indirectly causing her own death.

“It burned white-hot on her face, revealing her furious heart the way spreading daylight illuminates the landscape.”

People often assume that red flames indicate an intense fire. However, a white flame is far more intense, and the author uses this imagery to describe Meddy’s anger over Vinge’s villainy.

“Meddy’s family was gone, but here was someone who could share what he knew about her father, and who would cherish what she told him.”

The concept of family is an important motif in the narrative as several characters are seeking knowledge about their ancestry. Since Dr. Gowervine has made it his life’s work to study Doc Holystone, Meddy finds in him a type of family. She is also now part of the Pine family.

“[T]he fairy lights that glowed golden under their white frosting.”

Just as the conflicts inside have resolved into a peaceful resolution, the weather has now shifted from malevolent to benign. The snow appears like cake icing instead of a violent raging torrent.