And when he told them he was good, he was fine, as if he didn't know what they could be referring to, he had to do a better job pretending when they asked him again not ten seconds later.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1)

Importance: In Chapter 1, Keane utilizes this quotation to establish Malcolm’s emotional denial, at the outset of the narrative. Throughout his marriage with Jess, he is unwilling to communicate his emotions and shuts down when she tries to ask him direct questions. Instead of confronting his disappointment and desires, he pretends that he is content with his relationship and business. As Malcolm spends time alone in the novel, he is forced to confront his internal experience and find a way to communicate his emotions to his loved ones.

He'd learned over the seventeen weeks since Jess left that waiting for something to happen was exhausting, as if a door slammed four months...
-- Narrator (Chapter 1)