How does the author address the theme of the importance of the past in the novel, Ghost Story?

The theme of the importance of the past plays a significant part in Ghost Story. Ghosts themselves are literally of the past, which they also represent symbolically. In particular, in horror fiction, they are an evil part of the past; in other types of fiction, they may be harmless or even helpful. The unusually long period of time, fifty years, between the death and the appearance of the ghost in the novel suggests generally that one's involvement with the past does not necessarily end easily or quickly. Most of the characters are deeply concerned with the past, as is exemplified in the stories told by the Chowder Society members.