Houses remember.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 47)

Importance: This is the first line of Mari Godwick's famous horror novel Lilith Rising. When Mari first pens the line, she is unsure what it means or if it is even true. However, throughout her summer stay at the Villa Rosato in Orvieto, Italy, Mari realizes that physical spaces do indeed hold the lives and memories of others. This line introduces the author's explorations concerning the past, and creates a narrative bridge between Mari's and Emily's storylines.

I might actually hate my best friend.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 47)

Importance: Emily begins her first person narrative with the above pronouncement. Because her words are surprising, they immediately intrigue the reader and invite her into Emily's narrative. At the same time, this line introduces Emily's fraught relationship with Chess, and the competition that defines their lifelong dynamic and will threaten their connection in the subsequent chapters.

Something I want. Something I deserve.
-- Narrator (Pages 1 - 47)

Importance: In the wake of...