The road stretches before us, shrouded in a darkness transitioning into dawn as it leads me back to you.”
-- Yejide (chapter 1)

Importance: This quote in Chapter 1 foreshadows the tone and plot of the novel. Yejide thinks this to herself as she gets in the car headed towards Ilesa to attend Akin’s father’s funeral. Her use of the word “shrouded” infers death, and seeing the road stretch ahead of her with death imminent implies to the reader that the story is about to unfold before them, with darkness and death impending. However, at the end of the darkness, there is light (dawn) breaking. This foreshadows the ending - that though there is darkness and death, at least one child (Rotimi) ends up living.

The word crackled in my ears, iyale - first wife. It was a verdict that marked me as not woman enough for my husband.
-- Yejide (chapter 2)

Importance: This thought of Yejide’s...