The Theme of Unfinished Business in Good Spirits: Love That Keeps Us Tethered

Defining Unfinished Business in Good Spirits

In B.K. Borison’s Good Spirits, the theme of unfinished business goes far beyond a simple plot device. It weaves together the supernatural mechanics of haunting, the emotional arcs of the two protagonists, and the very nature of love and connection. The central claim of the novel is that unfinished business is not about unresolved tasks or lingering regrets—it is about love that refuses to let go. For Nolan Callahan, a Ghost of Christmas Past trapped in a century of assignments, his forgotten human life holds a compass that points not to a destination, but to Harriet York. For Harriet, her own unfinished business involves learning to assert her worth and heal broken family bonds. Together, they discover that their fates are intertwined: Nolan’s unfinished business is Harriet herself.

The novel traces this theme across multiple layers: Harriet’s initial belief that she is being punished, Nolan’s weary acceptance of his ghostly role, the gradual revelation that their connection is destined, and the final choice that redefines what it means to be complete. Through symbols like the compass, the candle in the window, and the fig jam, and through supporting characters like Sasha, Aunt Matilda, and Isabella, the novel argues that unfinished business is ultimately a gift—the promise of a love that transcends death.

Tracing the Theme Across the Plot

1. Sasha’s Speculation and Harriet’s Shift (Chapter Eight)

The first significant turning point in the theme occurs in Chapter Eight. Harriet and Sasha are polishing silver when Harriet asks, “What do you think of ghosts?” Sasha offers a playful answer about Casper and drive-in movies, but then gets serious: “Maybe it’s not a choice?” She suggests that ghosts linger because of unfinished business—perhaps with a bread recipe, or something deeper. Harriet’s mind snags on the word choice. She recalls Nolan saying he thought there would be “something better” in the afterlife, implying he did not choose this existence.

Later, alone in the storage closet, Harriet encounters Nolan and voices her new theory: maybe his unfinished business is the reason he is bound to her, not her own sins. She wonders, “Maybe I can help him solve his unfinished business—whatever that looks like.” This moment shifts the thematic focus from punishment to purpose. Harriet begins to believe she is meant to help Nolan, not atone. Sasha’s casual remark plants the seed that unfinished business is the key to understanding ghosts—and to understanding Nolan.

2. Nolan’s Resistance and the Hidden Compass (Chapter Thirty-One)

As the romance deepens, Nolan’s unfinished business crystallizes around a concrete object: a compass he left with his father before his death. In Chapter Thirty-One, after a night of intimacy, Harriet presses him to keep searching for the compass so he can move on. But Nolan admits to himself, “I still haven’t told her about the compass. I left it beneath a crate on the top shelf of her supply closet because I don’t want to know what happens if it comes back into my possession. What happens if I touch it? I’d like my unfinished business to remain exactly that…unfinished.”

This reveals a profound complexity: Nolan actively avoids resolving his unfinished business because he fears it will end his time with Harriet. The compass is not what he truly needs—what he needs is her. By hiding the compass, he prioritizes love over transcendence. The theme twists: unfinished business becomes something one can choose to hold onto. Nolan’s refusal to finish his business is an act of love, not failure.

3. Isabella’s Revelation (Chapter Thirty-Nine)

The ultimate reframing occurs in Chapter Thirty-Nine, when Nolan is trapped in the afterlife waiting room. Aunt Matilda arrives with the cat Builín, and Isabella reveals the truth: “Nolan’s unfinished business was never the compass, but Harriet herself—they are soulmates destined to be together. His trips to the past and every uncanny coincidence (the boat, the jam, the songs) were engineered to bring them into the same time.” Isabella could not tell Nolan directly without consequences, but now he must choose: move on to peace or return to Harriet.

This revelation transforms the entire plot. Every memory trip, every ghostly rule, every moment of tension was orchestrated to reunite two souls. Unfinished business is not a failure to complete a task but a purposeful delay designed by fate or a higher power. Nolan’s choice to return validates that love is the ultimate unfinished business. The chapter redefines the theme: what keeps a ghost tethered is not a loose end but a soulmate waiting to be found.

Character and Symbol Connections

Harriet and Nolan: Complementary Unfinished Business

Harriet’s own unfinished business involves her estranged sister Samantha York and her strained relationship with her parents. Throughout the novel, she learns to assert herself—declining refunds, choosing her own dress, and finally confronting her mother at the gala. Nolan’s presence gives her the courage to heal those wounds. In Chapter Thirty-Seven, after Nolan’s disappearance, Samantha visits and they begin to reconcile. Harriet’s bravery comes directly from having loved and been loved by Nolan. Her family unfinished business becomes tied to his romantic unfinished business.

Symbols of Unfinished Business

• The Compass: Represents Nolan’s forgotten human life and the path back to himself. But it is a red herring; the real compass is Harriet, who guides him home. (See the compass symbol page.)
• The Candle in the Window: A family tradition to guide sailors home. In Chapter Twenty, Nolan recalls the candle his mother lit, a symbol of waiting and hope. Harriet later lights a candle for Nolan, and when she blows it out in despair, he returns. The candle embodies the unfinished business of longing.
• Fig Jam: A sensory trigger that connects the present to the past. In Chapter Nine, Nolan tastes fig jam from Harriet’s skin, a moment of intimacy that echoes a memory he cannot yet access. The jam is a tangible link between his forgotten life and his new love.
• Mistletoe: Appears magically when Nolan kisses Harriet, representing the forced yet joyful union of two souls. The mistletoe is a symbol of the supernatural forces engineering their connection. (See the mistletoe symbol page.)

Supporting Characters

Sasha serves as the voice of practicality and intuition. Her offhand comment about unfinished business plants the seed in Harriet’s mind. Aunt Matilda appears in the afterlife as a cosmic matchmaker, revealing that she knew Nolan was meant for Harriet all along. Isabella represents the rules of the spirit world, but she also bends them—she cannot tell the truth directly, but she orchestrates the clues. These characters reinforce that unfinished business is not a solitary burden but a web of connections.

Complexity and Contradiction

The novel embraces tension in its theme. Unfinished business can be a burden—Nolan is weary after a century of haunting, and Harriet feels guilty for her past. But it is also a blessing. If Nolan had resolved his business earlier, he would have never met Harriet. The compass is both a symbol of what he lost and what he must give up to stay. Harriet’s decision to let Nolan go (by blowing out the candle) is the act that allows him to return. The theme suggests that sometimes the best way to finish business is to surrender control and trust love.

Another layer: the rules of the ghost world forbid direct revelation, yet the entire haunting is designed to bring Nolan and Harriet together. The contradiction—that unfinished business is both a cosmic design and a personal choice—is resolved by Nolan’s final choice. He could have moved on to peace, but he chooses unfinished business with Harriet. The novel argues that a love that keeps you tethered is more valuable than a clean slate.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the theme of unfinished business evolve from a punishment to a gift in Good Spirits?
   Initially, Harriet believes Nolan is haunting her because she has done something wrong. But as she learns more about his tragic past and his forgotten life, she realizes his unfinished business is tied to love, not retribution. The final revelation that they are soulmates redefines unfinished business as a purposeful delay designed for them to find each other.

2. What role do symbols like the compass and the candle play in developing the theme?
   The compass represents Nolan’s forgotten past and the quest for identity, but it is ultimately a distraction. The candle symbolizes hope and waiting—Harriet lights it for Nolan and blows it out in grief, only for him to return. Both symbols reinforce that the true unfinished business is emotional connection, not physical objects.

3. Why does Nolan hide the compass in Chapter Thirty-One?
   Nolan hides the compass because he fears that resolving his unfinished business will force him to leave Harriet. He would rather remain in a state of limbo with her than move on to an afterlife without her. This action shows that love can be more powerful than the desire for closure.

4. How does Harriet’s own unfinished business with her family parallel Nolan’s supernatural unfinished business?
   Harriet’s estrangement from her sister Samantha and her need for her mother’s approval are forms of unfinished business. Nolan’s presence gives her the confidence to assert herself and eventually reconcile with Samantha. Both characters must resolve their past wounds to be whole—and their healing is intertwined.

5. The novel ends with Nolan returning to Harriet rather than moving on. What does this say about the value of unfinished business?
   The ending argues that some unfinished business is worth keeping forever. Nolan chooses a life with Harriet over eternal peace, implying that love that keeps you tethered is a higher good than completion. The novel celebrates the messiness of unresolved connection as the essence of humanity—and even the afterlife.

Conclusion

In Good Spirits, unfinished business is the thread that binds the living and the dead, the past and the present, the mundane and the magical. B.K. Borison transforms a classic ghost story trope into a profound meditation on destiny, choice, and the enduring power of love. Nolan and Harriet’s journey shows that the business we leave unfinished may, in fact, be the most important work of our lives—and our afterlives. For readers seeking to understand how this theme operates, tracing it through the plot, symbols, and character arcs reveals a carefully crafted message: true love refuses to finish its business.