For now Verónica is someone who is not home, who isn't back yet from her drawing class.
-- Narrator (Part I)

Importance: Found near the start of the novel, this line introduces the overarching narrative stakes. Indeed, over the course of the pages that follow, iterations of this line recur. The narrator's repeated mention of Verónica's sustained absence effectively amplifies the narrative tension and protracts Julián's distress in the narrative present.

But this is not a normal night, at least not yet.
-- Narrator (Part I)

Importance: While trying to get his stepdaughter to fall asleep by telling her stories, Julián thinks about the ways in which he and Verónica normally spend their evenings after Daniela is in bed. However, in this moment, he is remembering that he and Verónica will not share one of these pleasantly predictable nights together. The latter half of the sentence captures the tension of Julián's circumstances. He...