My father had solved my biggest problem. There was no reason to think that he couldn't solve my smaller ones.
-- Lily (chapter 2 paragraph -)

Importance: Lily's dad had taught her to read when she was little, despite her struggles with dyslexia - the thing that she saw, at the time, as her biggest problem. After her dad leaves their family for Portland, she struggles in school, runs from relationships, and loses sight of her future. Her history with her dad leaves her to believe that if he was still around, he could help her to face all of the things made challenging by her neurological difference. Lily spends much of the novel wishing to move to Portland to live with her dad.

I have a broken brain, [...] It's not the same as a broken spirit.
-- Lily (chapter 17 paragraph -)

Importance: Lily is very open with her shortcomings as a teenager struggling with ADHD, but she is clear in stating that...