I have my mother's mouth and my father's eyes; on my face they're still together."
-- The Speaker (Preface paragraph 1)

Importance: This line prefaces the entire book, and serves as a brief introduction to the work. It introduces the themes of broken relationships, the effect parents have on their children, and the complexity of physical appearance.

The first boy to kiss your mother later raped women/ when the war broke out."
-- The Speaker (Your Mother's First Kiss paragraph 1)

Importance: This line describes the man who the mother had her first sexual experience with, which was not consensual and which she has no memory of. This line shows that he went on to continue to rape women, and that a war gave him the opportunity to do so. This solidifies him as a dangerous and cruel figure, and highlights the tragedy of the mother's situation, who became pregnant by him. It also shows the way war and sexual violence are interconnected, and the way men...