To survive here, I have split myself in two: my true self and my false self.
-- Narrator (Page 7)

Importance: The author utilizes this quotation at the outset of the narrative to introduce her thematic inspection of identity. When Cassie is living in San Francisco she bifurcates her identity in order to cope with the wellness and tech culture that pervades the city. While she is not a Believer, she works in the tech sector and pretends to be enthusiastic at all times despite coping with crippling depression. The author suggests that the individual cannot form an authentic version of self when they are compartmentalizing in order to appease others.

When the black hole expands, it eclipses my heart and mind, sucks all joy and light from my body.
-- Narrator (Page 9)

Importance: Toward the beginning of the narrative, Etter includes this moment in order to introduce her thematic exploration of identity. The narrator lives with a black...