M,I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I - how southern children are taught to spell Mississippi.
-- Author (Epigraph (Beginning))

Importance: This few lines at the beginning of the novel contains the book's first image, first lines, and the book's title.

And Larry did understand. If He'd been missing a daughter, he would come here, too. He would go everywhere. He knew the worst thing must be the waiting, not being able to do anything, while your girl was lost in the woods or bound in somebody's closet, hung from the bar with her own red brassiere. Sure he understood.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: In this early quote, narration sums up Larry's empathetic insight into the situation of the parents of the missing "Rutherford Girl", and why he understands why the sheriff has to search his home.

French went down the hall but Silas remained for a moment. He remembered this...
-- Narration (chapter 4)