What is the importance of language and communication in the novel, The Third Hotel?

The theme of language and communication throughout the novel adds to Clare's confusion and downward spiral. A person who is stripped of interacting with other people, is a person left completely to their own mind's will, which is clearly not ideal for Clare.

Throughout the novel, Clare is on the outside of much language. The biggest example being that the novel is set in Havana, a Spanish speaking city. Clare knows Spanish to a degree, but it is clear through her interactions that a lot of meaning is lost when using Spanish. More than one native speaker tells her to stop speaking their language or automatically switches to English for her benefit. Another example, is when Clare is playing charades with her father and Ellis Martin. She is shut out of their language because she did not understand any of the adult references Ellis Martin was making. She did not understand the nuances of their relationship quite yet. Clare was an outsider within her own home, where she was supposed to feel safe and welcomed. This was a pivotal moment in Clare's character development. This was the moment that she learned even those closest to her could push her out of their world at a moment’s notice. Clare built up walls for many reasons, one of them because she did not like being isolated outside the realm of communication, regardless the circumstances.

While throughout the novel Clare is on the outside of communication, there are a few key moments where Clare had imagined creating a secret language with some of her loved ones. Clare's mother used to crawl into Clare's bed at night and cry herself to sleep, something at the time that Clare understood to be their own secret language, not understanding the complete situation. Another example of language is Clare reading Richard's papers about horror films. Clare saw that opportunity to create a "sublanguage" between the two of them, something that they are connected to. Clare enjoyed being on the inside of languages, so she settled for ones that were not ideal.