By early the next day at least a dozen versions of the story were doing the rounds of office cubicles and coffee shops, pubs and preschools. Some were funny, others disapproving; many were censored, a few were spiced up. Of course, not one was the same.
-- Narration (Prologue paragraph Final)

Importance: The Prologue introduced the novel’s central theme of Perspective by discussing how one event can be interpreted in endless different ways by different people based on their own backgrounds, perspectives, motivations, and how much prior knowledge they have of the other people involved in the event.

Waking up was Gemma’s least favorite thing. She resisted it daily. Even when she was woken up by a phone call, like now, she continued to fight consciousness by keeping her eyes squeezed shut, her breathing deep, and not concentrating too hard.
-- Narration (chapter 3 paragraph 3)

Importance: This is how the author introduces the character of Gemma. It functions on two...