She did not have a particular fondness for children.
-- Narrator (Pages 3 - 7)

Importance: When introducing Sidra and describing her character and life, the narrator repeats iterations of the above line numerous times. Sidra's fate as an unlicensed woman consigns her to a job as a baby caretaker at the Omaha Public Library. The initial appearance of this line makes the reader believe Sidra is a cold and unfeeling woman. However, the more versions of the sentence that recur in the course of a few paragraphs, the more its meaning evolves. The reader begins to wonder if Sidra does in fact have a fondness for children, and if her conviction that she does not is a mode of self-preservation.

She was not one for such facile thinking.
-- Narrator (Pages 3 - 7 )

Importance: When Hadley enters the page, the narrator carefully explains her backstory, and describes Hadley's emotional state in the narrative present. Initially Hadley's overwhelming sense of disappointment and powerlessness...