I think that perhaps everyone has a moment that splits their life in two . . . A moment that creates a 'before' and an 'after.
-- Emma as Narrator (Pages 1 - 63)

Importance: At the start of the novel, Emma is embracing a new version of love, happiness, and stability in her life with Sam. However, only two months after they get engaged, Emma receives a phone call that changes her life. Her allegedly dead husband, Jesse, calls to say that he is in fact alive, and is coming home to her. The above quotation follows Jesse's phone call. For years, Emma has felt that Jesse's death was the event that divided her life into two distinct eras. Jesse's resurfacing, however, ultimately acts as this life-altering event. This moment is crucial to understanding Emma's relationship with the past and present. It also illuminates the author's overarching narrative structure, and introduces the narrative's central conflict and primary stakes.

Maybe it...
-- Emma as Narrator (Pages 1 - 63)