Greer didn't really know why Faith took an interest. But what she knew for sure, eventually, was that meeting Faith Frank was the thrilling beginning of everything. It would be a very long time before the unspeakable end.
-- Narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 3)

Importance: This passage is the first to foreshadow Faith and Greer's ending, in a big way. Near the end of the novel, Greer looks back upon this moment and she still can not see why Faith took an interest in her, indicating that despite her newfound socioeconomic status, Greer still can not see herself for the greatness that she possesses. In some ways, Greer is still the shy 17 year old meeting Faith for the first time at Ryland college. Near the end of chapter 8, Faith recalls her first meeting with Greer and comments that it is their similar experience of having "parents [that] held their daughters back, even as they loved them" (320) that...