Of course she'd let the bloody violet.
-- Narrator (Man as the Sum of All Things)

Importance: Throughout the novel, Still Life, Winman thematically explores love. This quotation, from the first chapter, serves to establish that Evelyn’s first romance, her relationship with Livia, continues to inform her life in the years that follow. After seeing Livia, Evelyn is able to embrace her sexuality, fight against social norms, and spurn the confines of marriage, to pursue her artistic endeavors.

Art is the antidote.
-- Evelyn (Man as the Sum of All Things)

Importance: In Still Life, the author examines the correlation between art and survival. In this moment, through her character Evelyn, Winman establishes her claim that art is a balm for human suffering. Artwork helps people survive hardship, heartbreak, and persecution by providing beauty and a medium for emotional expression.

You make us hate us. For your absence. For your lies. For your violence.
-- Narrator (Somewhere Between an Atom and a Star)

Importance: Winman utilizes her character Peggy to explore the negative ramifications of internalized male gaze on...