Content Warning: The source material contains discussion of substance abuse, overdose, self-harm, and suicide.

“Trees become hands, become fingers, become teeth reaching out for us.”

The prologue describes the carnage after the accident. Glasgow uses figurative language to personify the trees, making them appear sinister. Nature turns evil in the presence of the tragedy.

“Maybe that’s what Joey liked about drugs. The way they rearranged things, shifted memories, erased what he didn’t want to deal with. Make uncomfortable things fade away.”

Early in the narrative, Emory attempts to understand Joey’s addiction. Glasgow frequently characterizes Joey indirectly through Emory’s conjectures, emphasized by the uncertain word “[m]aybe,” portraying the experience of attempting to understand someone with an addiction.

“A star is mighty good company.”

Glasgow based the novel loosely on Thorton Wilder’s play Our Town. The line from the play uses figurative language to compare a star to a friend, emphasizing the loneliness that Emory feels since the stars are so distant although she finds solace by staring up at them.