Yet other times, I realize, regardless, there's a lot to be thankful for.
-- Eliza (Pages 3 - 53)

Importance: In Eliza's first letter to her sister, she recollects her visits with the pastor. In one such visit, the pastor asks why she feels so bitter. Eliza tries to explain that she often feels trapped and alone. However, these sentiments do not preclude her ability to notice life's goodness. Eliza's words to her sister encompass the dichotomies of human life that predominate the narrative. Not only do life and death live side by side, but so do sorrow and joy.

When I go back to the places of the past, nothing is there anymore, as if I have made the whole thing up.
-- Narrator (Pages 3 - 53)

Importance: In this letter, Eliza tells her sister that her life in Turkeytail is often tiring and lonely. At times, she explains, she tries to escape the present by retreating into the past. This does...