Sometimes, I refer to Ma in the past tense even though she is still alive.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 47)

Importance: After learning about her mother's descent into dementia, Antara becomes consumed by understanding her mother's new condition. When this proves unsuccessful, Antara experiences a profound loss of control. Her mother's illness seems to entrap her even more than her mother's lifelong manipulations. In an attempt to remove herself from her mother's clutches, Antara imagines her mother's death, an event she believes will ultimately free her from Tara forever. The line speaks to the ways in which Antara has felt imprisoned by her mother for her entire life.

Miscommunications emerge from mislaid certainty.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 47)

Importance: While visiting with her grandmother, Nani, Antara tries explaining Tara's diagnosis. Nani seems to understand, but speaks as if she does not know what Antara is saying. This confusing dynamic makes Antara realize how little forms of miscommunication ultimately distort the overarching truth...