The day my mom told me about Howard fell firmly in the really bad category.
-- Narrator (Prologue)

Importance: Lina incorporates Howard into the story by informing the reader that her mother told her about Howard on the same day that she told Lina she was dying of cancer. This timing suggests that Lina started out with a bad impression of Howard simply because she connects him with her mother’s diagnosis.

I mean I want you to go live in Italy. After.
-- Hadley (Prologue)

Importance: Hadley shocks Lina when she tells her that she wants her to go to Italy and live with Howard after she dies. It is only after Hadley dies that Lina learns from her grandmother that Howard is her father. Up to this point, Lina does not know why Hadley wants her to go to Italy.

I guess it would be a good idea to at least sort of get to know...
-- Narrator (Chapter 6)