It seemed like everywhere Ellery looked, every life she saw, cut her to the quick. Everyone had a person. Everyone else’s lives were going so well. It wasn’t that she wanted their lives. She wanted her own life back.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: This quote highlights Ellery's deep sense of loss and longing. It emphasizes her emotional isolation and the pain she feels seeing others move forward with their lives while she remains stuck in the aftermath of her broken marriage. The reference to "everyone else’s lives" going well reflects her feelings of alienation and dissatisfaction with her current circumstances. Ellery doesn’t desire to be someone else but craves the return of her own former life. This moment also speaks to the theme of personal transformation, where Ellery must confront her past in order to find a way forward.

The sound sent Ellery instantly back in time to a dark...
-- Narration (chapter 9)