Some people, she decided, magically surface in these horrible moments knowing exactly what to do, which spaces to fill.
-- June (chapter 2 paragraph 18)

Importance: June reflects on the miraculous appearance and kindness of her friend Maxine who offers her cottage to June at the group funeral of her family. This act of selflessness strikes June to her core, not because she has never done anything of the like, but because Maxine's timing and words are the perfect lozenge for June's raw heart. She finds that her friend knew exactly what to say to her and what to do. Rather than giving well-intentioned, but ultimately meaningless words of sympathy, Maxine gives June a refuge and a place to recuperate.

She has occupied space, tolerated each minute until the next one arrived, and then the next.
-- June (chapter 2 paragraph 35)

Importance: Depression and angst play heavily into Clegg's novel. June, reasonably, is destroyed after she loses her family. In response to this...