You couldn’t see the far shore of the lake.
-- Narrator

Importance: This quote invokes a sense of endlessness, which complements the atmosphere of the long, slow summer day.

... he began to swim, smoothly, slowly, straight out ...
-- Narrator

Importance: This quote highlights the sibilance that Banks uses in order to evoke the atmosphere that arises when one swims in a lake on a hot summer morning.

The man rowed and the girl rubbed tanning lotion slowly ... they said nothing.
-- Narrator

Importance: This quote is important because it establishes the roles that the young man and the young woman have in their relationship. It shows that there is an unspoken understanding between them, whereby the man assumes a duty of labor, and the girl assumes a state of luxury and relaxation.

...lattices, the remains of fishing weirs the Indians had constructed here and used for centuries until the arrival of the Europeans.
-- Narrator

Importance: This quote is important because...