How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Perhaps it was because the emperor was still on her mind, and because her taxi was at the intersection where, in place of the string of shops, there once stood a gallows, but suddenly Hema was thinking about a scene that haunted her. (1.6.50)
Isn't it funny when space and time kind of implode, like in this scene? Hema has lived in Addis Ababa for years, but for some reason, today, when she drives past a certain spot, she is transported back in time to the memory of that spot several years ago. Of course, it's a traumatic memory of a hanging, so it's not such a surprise that it could creep up, but it's still interesting how place triggers memory.
Quote #8
He turned to leave again, glancing around as if to seal in his memory this place in which he'd polished and elevated his art, this place that he'd furnished to suit his needs and that he thought was his real home. He took it all in because he knew he'd never ever return. (1.10.49)
We don't often get the chance to know that an experience is our last one. Stone is making the decision to leave Missing (and the pain of losing Sister Mary Joseph Praise) behind him, and so he's able to program his own memories of the place. This vision of the place will haunt him for years to come.
Quote #9
Ghosh recognized the song, a very popular one. It was called "Tizita"; there was no single equivalent English word. Tizita meant "memory tinged with regret." Was there any other kind, Ghosh wondered. (2.11.85)
Many cultures have words for nostalgia, but the word tizita has a special hint of remorse or regret in it. Even though Ghosh is not Ethiopian, he seems to have adopted its attitude toward the past, in which all memories must have regrets.