Background
Connie Willis's inspiration for Passage came in part from her mother's death, when Willis was 12. Willis felt frustrated that relatives and friends tried to comfort her with platitudes, so she wanted to write a novel that dealt with death honestly and could help people understand the process of death and mourning.
The character of Maurice Mandrake was inspired by Willis's anger at psychics and mediums who take advantage of vulnerable people.
Read more about this topic: Passage (2001 Novel)
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