Natives damning Natives.
-- Dee (Burn)

Importance: Dee makes this remark offhandedly in the first story of the collection while observing some of the behaviors between various members of the reservation, but its resonance is felt throughout the collection. Talty often seeks to explore the ways in which his characters hold each other back or inspire negative habits in each other even as they strive toward unity, commonality, and support. Dee's awareness of this tension provides useful framework for the reader to understand some of Talty's major objectives.

He’s going to grow up to hate you too.
-- Paige (In a Jar)

Importance: Paige levies this particular barb at Mom while they are fighting about Paige's consumption of cigarettes; the "he" in question is David. This accusation speaks to the themes of generational trauma that Talty is interested in exploring, and Paige's ire raises the question of how escapable David's development of that same hatred toward his mother is...