Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses abuse.

“Trumanell is the only one who believes my soul is still available to save. One hundred and ten percent, it’s not. God and I have an understanding. Our talks, His tests—that’s just us passing the time. This big white house, my purgatory.”

This early quote from Wyatt provides a glimpse into his complex, tortured mental state—even 10 years after his sister’s disappearance, he still lives with the lingering guilt and trauma, tethering him to the town and to the Branson house. Thus, this quote is an early illustration of the theme of The Lasting Effects of Unresolved Trauma, as Wyatt struggles to move on from the tragic event.

“Natives often return, especially the ones who say they never will. Texas is a beautiful poison you drink from your mother’s breast; the older you get and the farther you run, the more it pounds in your blood.”

Here, Heaberlin establishes both the novel’s setting and tone. She depicts the small town in Texas as a unique marriage of familiarity (symbolized by the “mother’s breast”) and impending but seductive danger (“beautiful poison”). Just as Odette is drawn back to her hometown, Heaberlin suggests that Texas natives feel an instinctive pull toward their home state.

“I think how life might be different if it weren’t for that bat setting the course of things. It made me believe life could turn out alright if I tried.”

This quote represents Odette’s beliefs and approach to her life and her work and illustrates two key aspects of her character: her resilience and her drive to seek justice and balance. “[T]hat bat” refers to the bat she saved her cousin Maggie from when they were both young, further showing her drive to protect others even if it entails risking her own safety.