She looks in the mirror and knows what she is. She is a buttoned-up. Buttons and buttons, moon high. Imagine a night sky studded with buttons. Imagine Miriam's buttoned-upness living in a jar - the jar would be filled with navy-blue ink, the kind you might use to write a letter to your grandmother, a letter on Basildon Bond writing paper, watermarked blue, saying you were sorry, so sorry, for everything.
-- Narration (chapter 3 paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote describes how Miriam feels trapped. The fact that she is trapped in her home is self-imposed and physical, but Miriam also feels trapped within herself. She is unsure of how to develop relationships, is unsure of what words means when string together, and only has her letters with her grandmother to help her make sense of the world. This quote provides the lead-in to read some of these letters and to learn about how Miriam's mother, Frances...