I wish you could see me now. I'm growing up, Mum. I'm finally growing up!
-- Joey (chapter 1)

Importance: Shortly after Joey moves to Melville Heights, she visits her late mother at the local cemetery. Desperate to prove that she is establishing herself, Joey delivers a monologue about all that has been happening in her life. Her words in this scene convey Joey's desire to grow and change. She wants to prove that she is becoming a person her mother would be proud of. However, these lines in fact foreshadow Joey's coming struggle to locate a true sense of self.

But yet, for some reason, she still felt like a child.
-- Narrator (chapter 3)

Importance: Although Joey is nearly 27 years old, her life in the present often makes her feel young, ignorant, and lost. In spite of her attempts to settle down, in this moment, Joey is feeling lost and confused. Marrying Alfie and moving back to Bristol...