Haunted by History: The Role of Spectral Figures and Memory Objects in Leah Kaminsky’s The Waiting Room

Komal Ashok Raisinghani

Email: raikomal2109@gmail.com

Abstract

In Leah Kaminsky’s The Waiting Room (2015), the spectral presence of the protagonist’s mother and various memory objects serve as powerful symbols for the enduring effects of trauma across generations. This study examines how Kaminsky uses these elements to explore the interplay between past and present, where unresolved grief and historical trauma manifest in both tangible and intangible forms. The ghostly figure of Dina’s mother symbolizes the persistent, haunting memories of the Holocaust, while objects such as cardboard boxes function as conduits for trauma that refuse to fade into history. This research analyses how Kaminsky intertwines spectral figures with memory objects to create a narrative space where the dead and the living coexist, revealing the continuous psychological toll of inherited trauma. The study further investigates how the novel portrays trauma as an omnipresent force that shapes identity, disrupts time, and blurs the boundaries between reality and memory. By delving into the narrative’s unique use of these elements, this paper sheds light on the complexities of post-war trauma and the ways in which literature can articulate the often invisible yet pervasive nature of historical suffering. This approach offers new insights into the representation of trauma in contemporary literature, emphasizing how Kaminsky’s novel contributes to the understanding of the intergenerational transmission of grief.

Keywords: Spectral figures, Memory objects, Intergenerational trauma, Historical haunting, The Waiting Room

Trauma leaves a mark far deeper than the physical scars of war, violence, or personal loss. It permeates the psyche, shaping the individual’s relationship with themselves, their family, and the broader world. While the wounds may be invisible, they linger across generations, embedding themselves in objects, memories, and familial bonds. Leah Kaminsky’s novel, The Waiting Room (2015), provides a profound exploration of how trauma transcends time, geography, and even life itself. Set in Israel, where the echoes of past wars reverberate alongside present conflicts, The Waiting Room delves into the life of Dr. Dina Ronen, a woman haunted by her mother’s death during the Holocaust, and her overwhelming fear of passing on that trauma to her son, Shlomi. Trauma fiction has long served as a crucial avenue for exploring not only the psychological aftermath of traumatic events but also their socio-political dimensions. Vickroy (2002) highlights the significance of trauma literature as a vital lens through which readers can access the lived experiences of individuals shaped by ideology and public policy. Through a sociocultural critical analysis, trauma literature provides a deeper understanding of how people navigate oppressive systems and historical contexts that have profoundly impacted their lives. The blending of literary narratives with research from fields such as psychology and history not only enriches our understanding of trauma but also supplements other fields of study, offering a multi-dimensional perspective on the psychological and social aftermath of traumatic events. Horvitz (2000) reinforces this idea, asserting that trauma fiction serves as a means of unmasking the very ideologies and sociopolitical conditions that give rise to traumatic incidents. By exposing these oppressive forces, trauma fiction becomes a powerful tool for both critiquing and challenging systems that produce or legitimize suffering. The combination of these perspectives underscores the power of trauma literature not only to document individual and collective experiences but also to critique the broader forces that shape and sustain those experiences, contributing to a richer and more comprehensive understanding of trauma. In Kaminsky’s The Waiting Room, these ideas are embodied in Dina’s internal and external struggles as she navigates the overwhelming burden of intergenerational trauma. Cathy Caruth, one of the foremost scholars in the field, suggests that “the story of trauma, then, as the narrative of a belated experience, far from telling of an escape from reality—the escape from a death, or from its referential force—rather attests to its endless impact on a life” (1996, p. 7). It implies that trauma does not always manifest immediately after a distressing or violent event. In many cases, people do not fully process or understand what has happened to them until much later. This is why trauma is often described as belated—its emotional, psychological, and sometimes even physical impact can emerge long after the initial event. In this sense, trauma is not just about the past event itself but about how that event continues to affect the person over time. Trauma narratives do not offer an escape from the painful reality of the event; instead, they highlight how the traumatic experience continues to linger and shape the individual’s reality. The traumatic event is not something that the person simply gets over or leaves behind, but rather something that they carry with them, sometimes unconsciously. This further refers to the idea that even if someone survives a traumatic event, the psychological consequences of that event continue to impact the survivor. In other words, while the person may have physically escaped death, they have not escaped the emotional or mental toll it takes. This emphasizes the enduring nature of trauma. The traumatic event keeps surfacing in a person’s life—through flashbacks, nightmares, emotional triggers, or unconscious behaviours—demonstrating that its impact is never fully left behind. Trauma has a ripple effect, shaping the person’s future experiences, relationships, and emotional state in ways that can feel endless. Caruth’s seminal work, Unclaimed Experience (1996), offers a framework for understanding how trauma operates in fiction, particularly through its disruptive effect on narrative temporality. In Kaminsky’s The Waiting Room, this disruption is evident in Dina’s oscillation between past and present, with her mother’s ghost serving as the embodiment of unresolved trauma.

Freud’s theories of trauma provide a compelling lens to understand Dina’s behaviour in The Waiting Room. Freud (1924) posits that trauma victims, in response to memory loss or repressed memories, unconsciously repeat the traumatic event, not as a recollection but as an action. This phenomenon, known as “acting out,” occurs because the victim is unable to process the memory properly, leading them to relive the trauma in various ways without recognizing the repetition. Victims of trauma are often unable to articulate their memories of the traumatic event and instead re-enact the trauma unconsciously. In The Waiting Room, Dina’s constant interaction with objects tied to her mother’s memory, as well as her obsessive anxiety over Shlomi’s safety, can be understood as manifestations of this repetition compulsion. She is trapped in an endless cycle of reliving her mother’s death, unable to break free from the shadow of the Holocaust. In The Waiting Room, Kaminsky engages with Israel’s ongoing history of war and conflict, as well as the cultural weight of the Holocaust. Dina’s personal trauma is deeply intertwined with the collective trauma of the Jewish people, suggesting that her inability to escape her mother’s ghost is symbolic of a larger societal struggle to come to terms with historical atrocities. The novel reveals Dina’s deep-seated anxiety, foreshadowing the persistent presence of trauma in her life. As Kaminsky writes, “…a past she carried along with her everywhere she went; a heavy sack filled with the dead, permanently hoisted over her shoulder” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 32) This encapsulates the key idea that trauma, particularly Holocaust-related trauma, is never truly forgotten; instead, it lingers, reemerging in spectral figures and memory objects that continuously shape Dina’s perception of the present. In The Waiting Room, Dina is a second-generation Holocaust survivor. Although she was not alive during the Holocaust, her mother’s death in a concentration camp casts a long shadow over her life. Dina’s obsessive need to protect Shlomi from the dangers of the world, her inability to let go of objects tied to her mother’s memory, and her constant fear of loss can all be seen as manifestations of intergenerational trauma. This concept is central to Kaminsky’s exploration of how trauma is inherited and how the past continues to shape the present.

In The Waiting Room, the ghost of Dina’s mother looms large, serving as both a literal and metaphorical representation of the trauma that haunts Dina’s life. Kaminsky uses the spectral figure to explore the idea that trauma is not confined to the past but continues to haunt the present, often in ways that are difficult to articulate or understand. Freud’s theory of melancholia, which suggests that individuals who are unable to properly mourn their losses become trapped in a state of perpetual mourning, is particularly relevant here (Freud’s Mourning & Melancholia). Dina’s inability to let go of her mother’s memory mirrors this process of melancholia, as she is unable to move forward and is instead trapped in the cycle of reliving her mother’s death. “In each room of memory lies a corner reserved for her mother’s dead; the family lost in the war” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 83). This line encapsulates the idea that Dina’s mother is not simply a memory but an omnipresent force in her life. The physical spaces Dina inhabits are marked by her mother’s absence, suggesting that the trauma of loss has infiltrated every aspect of her existence. Dina’s mother’s ghost is not just a figure from the past; she is a constant presence, reminding Dina of the trauma she cannot escape. Cultural trauma refers to the collective experience of a traumatic event that affects an entire community or nation. The Holocaust is perhaps the most well-known example of cultural trauma, and it plays a significant role in The Waiting Room. Dina’s trauma is not only personal but also collective, as it is tied to the larger history of Jewish persecution and survival. Dina’s inability to let go of her mother’s memory is symbolic of the larger struggle within Jewish communities to come to terms with the trauma of genocide.  Scholars such as Michael Rothberg (2009) have explored how cultural trauma is represented in literature, particularly in relation to memory and identity. Kaminsky’s novel engages with this idea by situating Dina’s personal trauma within the broader context of collective history. Dina’s fear for Shlomi’s safety is not only a reflection of her personal trauma but also of the collective anxiety that permeates in the society. This is particularly evident in Dina’s relationship with Shlomi, as she fears that her trauma will be passed down to him, just as it was passed down to her. “No child deserves to be born with the handicap of having to endure its parent’s pain, carry the madness of a history that belongs to someone else, become infected with the white-hot touch of other people’s wounds” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 131). This line speaks to the overwhelming burden of intergenerational trauma and Dina’s desperate attempts to protect Shlomi from inheriting her suffering. The novel, therefore, serves as both a personal and political commentary on the long-lasting effects of cultural trauma.

In The Waiting Room, objects play a significant role in preserving and transmitting trauma. Dina’s relationship with objects, particularly those tied to her mother, serves as a powerful metaphor for the way trauma is stored in the material world. Objects, in this context, become repositories of memory, carrying the weight of the past and acting as conduits for the transmission of trauma across generations. “Dina lives her life surrounded by cardboard boxes, filled with objects she cannot give away… She hoards. She keeps stuff, collects stuff, is unable to let go of stuff. Boxes she shipped from Melbourne, filled with her parents’ junk that she could never bring herself to throw out…” (Kaminsky, 2015, pp. 28-29). This behaviour is a clear manifestation of Dina’s inability to let go of the past, as she clings to objects that remind her of her mother and the trauma she endured. Freud’s theory of “repetition compulsion” (1924) provides insight into this behaviour, as Dina’s hoarding can be seen as a form of unconscious repetition, a way of keeping her mother’s memory alive while simultaneously preventing herself from moving forward. This is further reflected in the lines, “She has never really unpacked; she lives neither here, nor there. The boxes float above her bed as she sleeps, ready to be filled with dreams and instantly locked away” (Kaminsky, 2015, pg. 29). This suggests that Dina is living in a state of limbo, not fully grounded in her present life nor entirely disconnected from her past. The act of unpacking is often symbolic of settling down and becoming comfortable in a new place, but Dina has not done this. Her failure to unpack indicates her emotional and psychological displacement—she cannot fully commit to her present life because her mind is still tied to unresolved trauma from her past. This liminal space signifies how she is psychologically stuck. The “boxes” (p. 29) symbolize the memories, unresolved emotions, and traumas that she keeps locked away but that still loom over her, even in sleep. They are not grounded or stored somewhere—they hover above her, indicating that they are always present in her subconscious, ready to intrude on her peace. Even when she tries to rest or escape into sleep, the weight of these memories threatens to come crashing down. This line reveals how Dina manages her trauma—she may experience dreams or memories that connect to her unresolved past, but she quickly represses them, locking them away in the metaphorical boxes. This suggests a coping mechanism where she avoids confronting or unpacking her trauma fully. Instead of processing these painful memories, she tucks them away to avoid dealing with them head-on, though they still exist in her psyche, ready to resurface at any moment. This adds to the broader narrative of how past trauma, especially related to war and displacement, continues to affect survivors long after the actual events have ended, shaping their present existence.

The significance of objects in The Waiting Room is further emphasized by the way Dina interacts with them. “She glances at the reflection of a wedding photo hanging on the wall behind her” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 24). The wedding photo symbolizes a moment of joy and stability in Dina’s life. Yet, the fact that she only sees it through a reflection rather than directly signals a disconnect between her present happiness and the burdens of her past. The act of Dina circling her husband during the wedding symbolizes protection and tradition, yet this protection is overshadowed by the historical trauma she has inherited. Her marriage and her present life are haunted by the unresolved legacy of her family’s past. Dina’s understanding of wartime Poland is shaped entirely by the stories her mother told her, yet those stories are so powerful and traumatic that they have created a mental image in Dina’s mind as if she had lived through them herself, which is reflected when Dina says, “…people, buildings and landscapes only appear in varying tints of black and grey, often tinged with a wash of red taken from the bloody palette of her mother’s stories. Dina keeps returning there, even though she’s never set foot near the place” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 24). The black and grey shades reflect a world devoid of life and hope, echoing the Holocaust’s overwhelming darkness, destruction, and death. This colour imagery signifies how the trauma of war has erased all vibrancy from these memories and landscapes, turning everything into a shadowy, mournful world in Dina’s mind. The monochromatic view suggests that Dina’s perception of this place is entirely shaped by tragedy and loss, as conveyed through her mother’s stories. The red symbolizes blood, violence, and death, underscoring the horrifying nature of her mother’s experiences. The “bloody palette” (p. 24) represents the physical and emotional brutality of the Holocaust. This visual description conveys that while Dina never experienced these events, the emotional intensity of her mother’s stories has coloured her imagination with the same fear, pain, and loss that her mother lived through. The red “wash” (p. 24) further emphasizes the inescapable presence of violence in these memories, as if blood has stained the very landscape of her imagination. These memories haunt her, even though they are not technically her own. This reflects Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory, where the second generation inherits the traumatic memories of the first generation and internalizes them so deeply that they feel as though they belong to them (2008).

Storytelling is also portrayed as a haunting element in the novel. It is reflected in the scene when “Dina digs inside her bag trying to find her phone, searching for a lifeline out from the shoemaker’s past. The threads of his story are wrapping around her chest. She takes several slow breaths, trying to connect again to the here-and-now. The screen of her phone is blank…” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 122). Dina’s attempt to find her phone symbolizes her desperate need to escape from the heavy emotional burden that the shoemaker’s story brings. The phone, a tool of modern communication and connection to the present, represents a way for Dina to ground herself in the “here-and-now” (p. 122) and escape from the overwhelming emotions triggered by the shoemaker’s traumatic narrative. The “lifeline” (p. 122) metaphor suggests that she feels trapped and needs a means to pull herself out of the entanglement created by the story. This metaphor vividly captures the suffocating impact that the shoemaker’s story is having on Dina. The “threads” (p. 122) of the story symbolize how trauma—whether experienced directly or through others—can weave itself into one’s mind and emotions, making it difficult to disentangle from it. The physical sensation of the story “wrapping around her chest” (p. 122) suggests emotional constriction, anxiety, and suffocation. It highlights how listening to stories of trauma can evoke a visceral, almost physical reaction in the listener, especially someone like Dina, who is already carrying her own burdens of inherited trauma. The practice of slow breathing suggests mindfulness or grounding, a common technique used to combat anxiety or panic attacks. Dina is actively trying to resist being pulled too deeply into the past and the trauma it represents, attempting to restore her focus on the present. However, this action also shows how difficult it is to remain detached from traumatic stories once they start to pull at emotional threads. The blank phone screen is symbolic of Dina’s current state of disconnection, both from the present and from the people or things that might help her find grounding. Recording memories of the traumatic events in the survivor’s mind has also been studied by Dominic (2001), according to whom trauma survivors continuously carry remnants of their past, describing this as a persistent presence that haunts their minds. He explains that when survivors recount their traumatic experiences, they are mentally transported back to the original event, becoming trapped in that moment once again. In doing so, they do not simply recall the event but are emotionally and mentally re-immersed in the trauma, effectively reenacting the situation as if they are still living through it.

In The Waiting Room, one of the central tensions Dina grapples with is the fear of passing on her trauma to her son, Shlomi. In Dina’s case, her inherited trauma from her parents—survivors of the Holocaust—continues to exert a profound influence on her, and she is deeply fearful that this legacy of suffering will affect her child. This dynamic is particularly evident in Dina’s obsessive anxiety over Shlomi’s safety, as she goes to great lengths to protect him from the dangers of the world. Dina’s protective instincts—rooted in her own unresolved trauma—lead her to create scenarios in her mind where her worst fears, such as Shlomi’s death, come true. This constant state of fear is not only harming Dina but also potentially affecting her relationship with her son, which is reflected in the statement, “She is losing him. For too long she has grasped him tight, trying to keep him safe. But she has been playing out her false tragedies at her son’s expense” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 139), Dina acknowledges that her attempts to keep Shlomi safe have, in some ways, become harmful. The phrase “false tragedies” (p. 139) suggests that Dina is aware she is projecting her traumatic past onto her son, imagining worst-case scenarios that may never occur. However, this realization does not alleviate her anxiety. Instead, it reveals the depth of her trauma, as her efforts to protect Shlomi from danger are shaped by the unresolved fears and insecurities that stem from her own experiences. “She somehow feels Shlomi’s school is the place where her worst fears are about to come true” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 129), Dina’s irrational fear transfers to everyday spaces, like Shlomi’s school. Schools, which should be places of safety and growth, become in Dina’s mind sites of potential catastrophe. This anxiety is an extension of her trauma—she sees danger where there may be none because her traumatic memories are deeply intertwined with fear and loss. The school becomes a metaphor for her inability to escape the past, as Dina sees even the most mundane environments as threatening. This sense of perpetual danger aligns with the theory of hypervigilance, which is typically associated with high levels of anxiety (state and trait) and has been conceptualized to represent a bias in information processing aimed at increasing the chances of survival (Craske et al. 2009; Beck and Clark 1997; Richards et al. 2014). With disordered anxiety/fear, the perception of threat has been shown to be overestimated in comparison to the needs of the environment (Beck and Clark 1997; Rosen and Schulkin 1998). Dina’s fear is no longer bound to the traumatic events of the past but seeps into the present, affecting how she views her son’s future. Her belief that Shlomi’s school is a place where her worst fears will come true shows how trauma reshapes reality, creating constant fear even in ordinary situations. The vivid imagery of birth—of him being jettisoned into the world—conveys Dina’s sense of helplessness. From the very beginning, she associates his birth with danger, and this fear has persisted throughout his life. The term “bloated jellyfish” (Kaminsky, 2015, p. 47) suggests that Dina views both the process of childbirth and the world outside the womb as vulnerable and precarious. Her trauma, inherited from her mother’s Holocaust experiences, has made her hyper-aware of the fragility of life.

In The Waiting Room, Leah Kaminsky masterfully portrays the long-lasting and pervasive effects of trauma, particularly Holocaust trauma, and its deep psychological impact on individuals and families. Dina’s life is defined by her inherited trauma, the echoes of her mother’s Holocaust experiences, and her own struggles to break free from these memories. The novel demonstrates how trauma is not confined to the past—it is an ongoing presence, resurfacing in various forms and influencing not only the survivor but also their children, as seen in Dina’s overwhelming fear for her son, Shlomi. The narrative underscores the cyclical nature of trauma, illustrating how unprocessed and unacknowledged pain can transcend generations. Dina’s anxious attempts to protect her son from an uncertain future stem from the unresolved grief and loss she inherited. This persistent trauma creates a psychosocial crisis—one that is deeply internal, silent, and potentially more destructive than any physical danger, much like a pandemic of the mind and spirit. Such a crisis, left unaddressed, could be as harmful as the global pandemic, if not more so, because it seeps into the very fabric of family life, quietly eroding emotional resilience and well-being. Kaminsky’s portrayal of Dina’s fractured existence, living between the shadows of her mother’s past and the fears for her son’s future, emphasizes the urgent need for addressing trauma before it escalates into a generational psychosocial crisis. The novel calls attention to the dangers of suppressing or ignoring trauma, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and processing these experiences to prevent them from overwhelming individuals and societies. In a world increasingly grappling with the psychological fallout of war, violence, and displacement, Kaminsky’s work serves as a reminder that unresolved trauma can have widespread and devastating consequences, much like an invisible pandemic. Ultimately, The Waiting Room offers a message of both caution and hope. It emphasizes that while trauma may not be entirely escapable, healing is possible through awareness, self-reflection, and, most importantly, through the conscious effort to live in the present. By facing the ghosts of the past, Dina—and by extension, all trauma survivors—can begin to reclaim their future and protect the next generation from carrying the same burdens. Kaminsky’s novel is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the necessity of addressing trauma to avoid the silent, pervasive dangers of a psychosocial crisis.

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