Clare, Sara’s grieving younger sister, visits the hotel to understand her sister's last moments, interacting with the receptionist and a bellboy named Duncan, who was present during the accident. Key Themes and Structure
The novel opens with the voice of Sara, who has just died after falling down the hotel’s dumbwaiter shaft. She exists as a ghost in a liminal space, struggling to understand her death and holding onto life through memory, often mispronouncing or confusing words (calling the dumbwaiter a "lift for dishes" or "life/leaf"). Hotel World - Ali Smith.epub
Else, a homeless woman sitting outside the hotel, tells her story, including being invited inside for one night by a receptionist. She is observant, well-read, and struggles with poverty and sickness. Clare, Sara’s grieving younger sister, visits the hotel