But I didn't understand what I was risking until I nearly lost it.
-- Crow (Prologue)

Importance: Crow, as the novel's narrator, has just provided a brief introduction to her story. She mentions that in the story she searches out information about her past because she wants to know where she came from and why her family had sent her away as a newborn. The author's last sentence of this prologue provides a bit of mystery and suspense as she writes about "risking" and what is "nearly lost" (2). Apparently Crow is going to almost lose something very important that she already has in order to find the answers to her questions. This mystery makes the reader want to read on to discover what is going to happen to Crow and if she ever discovers the facts concerning her past.

I carried those questions around with me like a sack that got heavier as the...
-- Crow (chapter 2)