She can hear the dead growing louder: We must be remembered.
-- Narrator (Prologue: Waiting)

Importance: The narrator says this of Hirut as she waits at the Addis Ababa station with the box of Ettore's photographs. The weight of the box in her lap seems to call out to her, the voices of the dead pleading with her to remember them. This line inspires the rest of the novel's framework to come. As Hirut remembers all those who have died, the narrative flashes into the past and reveals the truth of their stories.

They rely on useless pieces of paper to start a war...
-- Kidane (Book 1: Invasion)

Importance: Kidane says this to his men regarding other armies' reliance on maps. However, the line speaks to the significance of Ettore's photographs, as well as the other penned messages passed between opposing sides during the war. While the war is defined by the tragedies and atrocities the soldiers suffer amidst it...