"Later still, I realized that everything began that day. Everything that was to heave itself free of its foundations over the course of the summer began to rattle lightly on the morning of the parade. That was when I first heard of Layla Beck, when I began to wonder about my father, and when I noticed I was being lied to and decided to leave my childhood behind. I have since wondered, of course, how my life - and my father's and my aunt Jottie's too - would have been different if I'd decided to stay at home that morning. This is what's called the enigma of history, and it can drive you out of your mind if you let it.
-- Willa as narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 3)

Importance: This quote foreshadows the major changes that transpire in the narrator's life during the summer the novel takes place. Moreover, it emphasizes how these events impact her father's and...