Noah was going to Nice for his eightieth…he didn't know anyone in that part of the world, not since his grandfather had died in 1944. That had freed his mother (Margot) to join his father (Marc) and little Noah in the States.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: This line of dialogue helps to establish some of the most fundamental timeline elements and character relationships of the novel. When Noah was four years old, he relocated to the United States with his father and sister. Noah's mother, Margot, remained in France to take care of her ailing father. Margot's time in Nice in the 1940s remains a central point of narrative focus and intrigue throughout the novel.

Nobody gets a trial these days.
-- Rosa Figueroa (chapter 1)

Importance: Rosa makes this statement while explaining Amber's legal situation to Noah. As Rosa explains, many nonviolent drug offenders are forced to accept a guilty plea rather than go to trial, as public defense...