I was no stranger to loneliness, but over the past few years I’d polished my strategies to deal with it. I remind myself that the flip side of loneliness could be worse - a houseful of demanding kids, a husband who expected dinner on the table, a weighty mortgage, irritating in-laws - it became almost a game to see what new horrors I could come up with.
-- Anna (One)

Importance: This establishes how Anna sees herself and what lengths she goes to to try and justify her life. Anna is self-conscious of her age and lack of a family. She says she enjoys loneliness, but has to come up with reasons why she accepts it. She tries to imagine the worst case scenarios to hide her insecurity. This is one of Anna’s biggest weaknesses that she will have to overcome throughout her time on Turtle Island.

When I arrived on the...
-- Anna (chapter 4)