Chapter summaries The Midnight Train Matt Haig

Chapter 66: The Tune She Was Humming - Summary & Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

As Maggie bathes in the hotel room, Wilbur lies on the bed still wearing the same clothes from the Ghost—sandals, flares, and shirt. He feels exhausted from the flight and the wine they had earlier. While Maggie hums softly, Wilbur picks up the guidebook The Companion Guide to Venice and reads about local jazz bars. One such bar is close to the restaurant they plan to visit that evening. Wilbur decides to surprise Maggie, who likes jazz more than he does, by walking past the bar after dinner and then returning to the hotel via Piazza San Marco. He listens drowsily to Maggie’s humming, trying to identify the tune, and smiles to himself. As he falls asleep fully dressed on the bed, he stops thinking about the ghostly doppelgänger he had seen earlier—only to have that doppelgänger appear and watch him.

Key Events

  • Wilbur lies on the hotel bed in his clothes, tired from the journey and the wine.
  • Maggie takes a bath and hums a tune.
  • Wilbur reads the guidebook and discovers a jazz bar near the dinner restaurant.
  • He plans to surprise Maggie by walking past the jazz bar after the meal.
  • He tries to identify the tune Maggie is humming, smiling as he listens.
  • Wilbur falls asleep, and his ghostly doppelgänger observes him.

Character Development

  • Wilbur: Despite his fatigue and the unsettling earlier encounter with the doppelgänger, Wilbur shows thoughtfulness by planning a small surprise for Maggie. His attempt to identify her humming reflects a desire to hold onto ordinary intimacy, yet his fall into sleep suggests an emotional and physical withdrawal. The reappearance of the doppelgänger implies that his hidden anxieties remain unresolved.
  • Maggie: Though mostly offstage, her humming conveys a sense of contentment and normalcy. She appears unaware of the ghostly presence, which deepens the dramatic irony.
  • The Ghost: The doppelgänger reasserts its watchful presence, reinforcing the theme of an inescapable alternate self that haunts Wilbur even in peaceful moments.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Humming as Domestic Comfort: Maggie’s humming represents the mundane, reassuring sounds of a shared life. Wilbur’s effort to identify the tune suggests his longing to stay connected to this comfort despite the intrusion of the supernatural.
  • The Doppelgänger: The ghostly double continues to observe, symbolizing unresolved aspects of Wilbur’s identity or past choices. Its silent gaze undercuts the tranquility of the scene.
  • Jazz and Improvisation: The reference to a jazz bar hints at the possibility of improvisation and change, but also at the different notes or paths Wilbur might have taken—mirroring his own life’s divergences.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter provides a quiet interlude before the evening restaurant scene, emphasizing the tension between domestic calm and the haunting presence of the doppelgänger. It deepens Wilbur’s characterization through small, tender actions—his plan to surprise Maggie and his attempt to listen to her humming—while showing how easily the ghost can intrude. The chapter also builds suspense by ending with the doppelgänger watching, making clear that Wilbur cannot escape this other self even in sleep.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does Wilbur plan to do after dinner?
    He plans to walk past a nearby jazz bar to surprise Maggie, then return to the hotel via Piazza San Marco.

  2. How does the chapter end?
    Wilbur falls asleep on the bed, and his ghostly doppelgänger watches him.

  3. Why might the author include the detail of Maggie humming?
    The humming contrasts the serene domestic moment with the eerie presence of the doppelgänger, highlighting the underlying tension between normal life and Wilbur’s supernatural experience.

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