In fiction, when someone refers to ghosts or a supernatural presence, it often creates a sense of mystery or even horror. However, Isabel welcomes and even invites the presence of ghosts, who remind her of her past and a time when her family was whole. The novel begins in a cemetery at a funeral, with Isabel referring to advice her mother once gave her, “The best time to talk to ghosts is just before the sun comes up. That’s when they can hear us true, Mama said. That’s when ghosts can answer us” (3). This is a subversion of the traditional specter narrative. Often, ghosts are pictured as appearing only at night and as a terrifying presence. In Chains, the idea of visiting with a ghost in daylight is comforting and presents an image of communing with the dead rather than running from them. Phantom presences are not frightening for Isabel but an invitation into her memory and the most vulnerable parts of her soul.

At key points early in the narrative, Isabel calls out to her mother and any ghost for help and direction. She is met with silence. In her spiritual tradition, looking to elders for wisdom is a custom.