We were all waiting for life after high school, after our no name-town in North Florida, so we figured we'd wait by the water.
-- Narrator (Waters)

Importance: After Daniel learns of Aubrey's death, memories overwhelm him. In this line from one of the novel's opening passages, Daniel recalls his and Aubrey's close connection with the water by which they lived. The cadence and substance of the illuminate Daniel's emotional state. At the same time, the quotation introduces Daniel's relationship with his hometown, a place he was once desperate to flee and is now desperate to return to. This moment speaks to the novel's underlying narrative tensions, and speaks to Daniel's relationship with place.

(I can't bring myself to share them here, now.)
-- Narrator (Waters)

Importance: Throughout the opening chapter of the novel, Daniel lets his memories consume him. The narration appears to relay scenes from Daniel's present or recent past until this line from the chapter's...