So, it was never peace, exactly.
-- Tessa as the Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Tessa says this as she takes Finn to his daycare center. The quote shows that things are not always as they seem. Northern Ireland is supposed to be at peace on paper, but the word "exactly" hints that this was never the case.

I always watch for one in Belfast, on my way to work, but not out here, surrounded by hedgerows and potato fields.
-- Tessa as the Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Tessa thinks this as she takes Finn to his daycare center. The quote characterizes Tessa as a worrier as she always watches for a gunman in Belfast. It also supports the theme of false perception. Tessa thinks that her home is safe. However, readers later learn that weapons are buried in the fields near her house. Later, members of the IRA come to her house and take her away with the aim of killing her.

At first, the fear...
-- Tessa as the Narrator (chapter 2)