Instead, they were at a hospital miles from home – no studying, no supper, and the very real possibility of a total stranger coming to stay with them. Katie felt an odd sense of lightness.”
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The important part of this quote is that Katie is excited by the fact that this evening has turned out so differently than all the other evenings in her recent past, which hints that other things can change as well. Katie is on the brink of discovering her sexuality and changing her relationship with her mother. She is anxious for her future to begin.

How did you keep your own mother hidden? Why would you? Even people who hated their families still managed Christmas and birthdays.”
-- Narrator (chapter 3)

Importance: Katie has just learned that Mary is alive, despite Caroline's story that her mother died years earlier. Caroline has referred to Pat as her mother and has refused to acknowledge...