I'm beginning to believe that not telling you the whole truth, letting you walk this earth without truly understanding this history, has done you a disservice.
-- Narrator (Part I, Chapter 1)

Importance: Civil writes her story as a way to explain her history to her daughter, Anne, and to process her yet unresolved relationship with the past. Her declarative yet open narrative tone conveys Civil's desire to be honest with her daughter and herself. At the same time, this line insights the narrative conflict, tension, and action, while establishing the novel's explorations of memory and the past.

This work was a ministry serving young Black women.
-- Narrator (Part I, Chapter 2)

Importance: Civil is excited about her new job with the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, because she believes in the establishment's mission. Civil's main goal in life is to help those in need. She therefore convinces herself that her beliefs align with those of the clinic's. Over time, however, Civil discovers otherwise...