If a border existed between the Realm of Life and the Realm of Afterlife, Leila decided, it must be as permeable as sandstone.
-- Narrator ("The End")

Importance: Leila has this thought shortly after her murder. Though her body has died, she realizes she still has access to conscious thought. The line speaks to the novel’s overarching thematic interests in the fluidity of time and space, the continuity between spiritual and living realms. Leila’s final 10 minutes and 38 seconds of consciousness suggest that death is not a hard end, but rather an avenue into an alternate sphere of existence.

Suzan is not your mother.
-- Binnaz ("Two Minutes")

Importance: Binnaz makes this revelation to Leila, breaking her promise to Suzan and Haroun never to reveal the truth of Leila’s birth. Binnaz’s words challenge Leila’s understanding of truth and reality, and mark the beginning of her complex work to discover her veritable identity. Learning that her parents...