Sometimes it feels like the three of us are still stuck in that car. Shouting out Ruthy's name into the unanswering dark".
-- Nina (Chapter 1)

Importance: The author utilizes this quotation, at the outset of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, to explore the effects of grief on familial dynamics. While it has been years since Ruthy’s disappearance, the Ramirez women continue to interact with one another, and themselves, through the loss. Nina returns home after graduating college because she feels guilty, she knows that Jessica had to face supporting their mother in the immediate aftermath of their sister’s disappearance. Their relationships are informed by their ongoing grief, guilt, and frustration that stem from Ruthy’s disappearance.

Girl, you don't have to feel any type of way. A lot of women cried in this room trying to feed their children".
-- Nurse (Chapter 3)

Importance: In Chapter 3, the author enacts this moment to further her thematic examination of...