Instead of killing the men in my family, it made them leave, which is so much worse. At least Yeye died loving my Nainai. The first one who left was Big Uncle. Then Second Uncle, and then—then it was my dad, who left without a word in the dead of night. Just up and disappeared, like a ghost.
-- Meddelin (Prologue)

Importance: Meddelin believes that her family is cursed because the men always leave. This quote is important because it shapes the way Meddelin feels about men and her own romantic prospects for the future.

I stare at my mother and my aunts. They stare back at me, smiling and nodding in that way cats do when they’ve cornered a mouse.
-- Meddelin (Chapter 1)

Importance: Ma and the aunts set Meddelin up on a blind date. This quote is important because it demonstrates the power the elder women in the family have over Meddelin, even though...