Elatsoe begins with 17-year-old Ellie’s cousin, Trevor, visiting her in a dream to share that Dr. Allerton has murdered him and to ask Ellie to care for his family. Trevor’s murder shakes Ellie’s family to its core, and it particularly shakes Ellie and Trevor’s young widow, Lenore, both of whom haven’t experienced this level of grief or tragedy before. Specifically, neither character has known someone who died as young as Trevor did. However, while the novel acknowledges how devastating and traumatic Trevor’s untimely death is, and how traumatic it is for his young family, it nevertheless suggests that grieving means allowing both the living and the dead (who, in the fantastical world of the novel, live in the underworld and can return as ghosts) to eventually find peace. This is a difficult idea for Lenore in particular to swallow. Though she knows that human ghosts are violent and dangerous without exception (this is why, for instance, it’s inappropriate to use the deceased’s name—it could call their ghost back), she still wants Trevor’s ghost to return as she believes the ghost will avenge Trevor’s death by killing Dr. Allerton. However, when Trevor’s ghost does return, it’s willing to hurt even Ellie, Vivian, and Jay, people he knew and loved, suggesting the dangers of remaining stuck in one’s grief and unable to move on. Ultimately, the novel suggests that while death is always painful, particularly when it comes too soon or through murder, dwelling on the dead is no way to live. It’s only by honoring the dead through meaningful cultural rituals, and focusing on the living, that people are able to ultimately heal.
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Death, Grief, and Healing Quotes in Elatsoe
She trusted the wisdom of her parents and elders. Ellie had heard the dark and violent stories about human ghosts. They were rare and fleeting things that almost always left violence in their wake.
The thing was, she had never been able to understand why they were so terrible. Trevor loved his family and friends; how could death change that? How could anything from Trevor be cruel? It was inconceivable, and yet...
She withdrew her hand from the picture frame. Sometimes, the world was too mysterious for her liking; Ellie intended to change that someday.
“Here,” Lenore said, handing Ellie a velvet-wrapped parcel. “He wanted you to have this.”
Gingerly, Ellie unwrapped Trevor’s Swiss Army knife. “He used to carry this during hikes,” she said. “Every hike. Even little ones in Grandma’s yard. Just in case.” She held it carefully. “I’ll always carry it, too.”
“That’s Trevor,” Lenore said. “Prepared for just about anything. It didn’t help him in the end.”
Few things were more personal than a smartphone, so it was probably interred with Trevor during his traditional burial. Sure, their ancient ancestors hadn’t owned pocket-size computers, but tradition accommodated the adaptable nature of humankind.
“The two made off with four hundred dollars, Marlboros, and ten bags of dried meat. I remember a news reporter saying, ‘They killed a man for just four hundred dollars.’ And I thought that the word ‘just’ was completely unnecessary. No amount of money would make the crime less heinous. I don’t care if there was four billion dollars in that register, Ellie.”
Despite all of the warnings Ellie had heard her whole life, the fact remained: waking up a human ghost was like getting struck by lightning. Extremely unlikely but dangerous enough that precautions had to be respected. When it came to attracting electricity during a thunderstorm, there were ways to improve the odds. Fly an aluminum kite. Stand under a tall tree. Wave a metal pole at the tumultuous clouds. Likewise, if somebody wanted to wake up a ghost, they could repeat the deceased’s name, disturb their burial ground, or otherwise meddle with the dead person’s body, possessions, home, or family.
“Nathaniel Grace learned a lesson from the fire. He made friends with other Pilgrims by hurting the people who frightened them more than he did.”
Page five continued, with a picture of a boxy building, “Nathaniel Grace made a hospital with the money he earned. He saved many lives.”
[...]
The final page displayed an anatomically accurate drawing of a leech. It belonged in a biology textbook, not a historical biography. Brett concluded: “Nathaniel Grace is a great American because he saved the lives of many people like presidents and war heroes. Without him, the country would not be the same and there would be no Willowbee. He founded the town to be a good home.”
“If I’m right,” Dan said, “you won’t need to stop waking ghosts, as long as you’re mindful of the difference between the dead and the living.” He wagged a finger at Ellie, as if lecturing a class of rowdy toddlers. “There is a difference. The dead should not seem like kin. When they do? They might devour you.”
“Be patient. Have faith.” Vivian put her arms around Lenore and Ellie and pulled them into a hug.
“Faith in what?” Lenore asked, and she sounded genuinely curious and a little bit spiteful. “Justice?”
“Family,” Vivian said. “It’s all we’ve ever had.”
“Only one kind of monster uses guns,” Vivian said.
“He’s just one man.” Trevor leaned forward, rooted to the grave. “There are millions more who will continue to treat our family and land like garbage. Think of them like pests.”
“Pests...”
“Termites in your house. Locusts in your field. It doesn’t make any difference if you crush just one insect. The swarm will devour your home.”
“Everything I do tonight will be for him. For justice.” The exorcist corpse’s head flopped to one side, as if trying to study Ellie with its cloudy eyes. “He loved you,” the emissary said. “He loved all his family.”
“I love Trevor,” she said. “Always will.”
“Someday, you’ll be reunited,” the emissary promised. “If you want that day to come sooner rather than later, interfere with my vengeance.”
“Vengeance?” she wondered. “Didn’t you say ‘justice’ a moment ago?”
“In this case, they’re the same.”
“I am a neutral force,” Dr. Allerton said. “My healing balances my harm. Ellie, I tried to help you and your family. Did you know that I collected scholarship money for Trevor’s child? Well? Enough to pay for college! For grad school! You just wouldn’t let it go. Everything is a mess now.”
“Shut it,” Ellie said. “All the scholarships in the world can’t be a father to Gregory.”
How long would it take for the earth to heal? When would the sap on the metal-scarred tree harden into amber? It seemed odd that an act so violent and cruel could leave gemstones in its wake.
“I guess I should start from the beginning,” she said. “When I was a kid, my parents took me to the pound. That’s where I met a dog...”
She’d say his name and tell his story. Maybe, someday, he’d follow the words home.
