Valencia didn’t think about death too often. If anything, everyone else thought about it too little.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Krause uses the close third-person narration to demonstrate Valencia’s thoughts and opinions. Valencia acknowledges that people likely would view the frequency with which she thought about death as too much, but she refutes this statement by presenting her point of view instead.

She looks for social interactions in unusual places these days. She has to. She’s exhausted all the usual ones.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Mrs. Valentine struggles to find satisfying social connections due to the circumstances of her old age. As a result, she seeks out more creative ways to find conversation companions.

Sometimes she feels like she’s two people in one: a stubborn child and its harried mother.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Mrs. Valentine has a sort of duality to her personality, which represents her whimsical side and sensible one. This also complements her feeling of...