And lo! towards us coming in a boat/ An old man, grizzled with the hair of eld,/ Moaning: Woe unto you, debased souls!
-- Dante (Epigraph paragraph 1)

Importance: A novel's epigraph is always important. In this case, as in most cases in which the author employs and epigraph, the epigraph introduces the novel's tone and comments upon the story's ensuing action. The use of Dante Alighieri's lines in Canto 3 from the Inferno offers the reader insight into the story's quirky and dark tone. The inclusion of the lines from one of the most read epics in history could mean that either the author will continue with a poetic epic or use these lines satirically. In this case, Riggs does a little of both. His book carries some of the weight that Dante's epic does, but it includes these lines also as a counterpoint to his light and sarcastic tone.

We rowed out through the harbor...
-- Jacob (chapter 1 paragraph 1)