Desires of the Female Ghost Narrator in Ronlyn Domingue’s the Mercy of Thin Air

In 2005, Ronlyn Domingue published her debut novel, The Mercy of Thin Air, which is narrated by a first-person female ghost narrator, Razi. Through the narrative, fragmented and traumatic memories of the past and present scenes observed by the invisible narrator are interwoven, presenting a female mind full of unforgettable nostalgia and post-traumatic regrets. A detailed analysis of Razi’s narrative exposes her obsessive desires with her identity, her sexuality, and her capability of scopophilia. These three elements are closely connected with her will to power. This essay intends to deconstruct her memories, her monologues, her realities, and her relations with her lover and friends with an eye to understanding her female desires.