Evening crept its way into the cabin, and she went to get the knife.
-- Nadia (chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: Using the words "crept" and "knife" creates an ominous and suspenseful tone for the start of the book, and the reference to the knife is a reference to the villain, Vladimir, as this is his preferred weapon. It also opens up a lot of questions to capture the reader's interest, as we do not know who is getting the knife or why.

Kache did not know how to rewind his life, how to undo the one thing that had undone him.
-- Kache (chapter 2 paragraph 2)

Importance: Right away the author tells us that Kache is stuck in the past and unable to move forward because of something that happened to him. This is Kache's defining characteristic for at least the first half of the book. There is a parallel between the language used here, "undo," and "undone," and Kache's title for...