She was pale and thin, and as she came towards us, I could see her walk wasn’t like that of other passers-by. She wasn’t slow exactly, but she seemed to take stock after each step to make sure she was still safe and wouldn’t fall. I estimated her age as fourteen and a half.
-- Klara (narration) (chapter 1)

Importance: This passage functions to introduce the character of Josie into the novel. One of the primary elements of Josie's character arc is that she is ill, and potentially terminally so. These lines foreshadow the fact of Josie's illness, as signified by her halting gait.

[The girl] was with an AF after all—a boy AF—who was walking three paces behind. And I could see, even in that small instant, that he hadn’t lagged behind by chance; that this was how the girl had decided they would always walk.
-- Klara (narration) (chapter 1)

Importance: In this passage...