How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
My memory is like Hannah's manuscript—distorted and out of sequence. (19.28)
Perhaps one reason Taylor so strongly identifies with the story of the five goes beyond the characters to the structure of the manuscript itself: It's lack of organization and chronology in a lot of ways mirrors her own memory, full of recurring images and people, but not much stability or logic.
Quote #8
My first clear memory of time and place was being in a hospital when I was four because of my asthma. The walls were painted with animals and trees and as I stared at one of the trees I could swear there was a boy hiding in the branches. I didn't see that boy again until I got to Hannah's. (22.4)
There are some supernatural and spiritual elements to this story, and one of them is that elements of Taylor's past almost seem to follow her throughout her life. Did she really see Webb in the tree in the doctor's office? Or do her dreams of late only make her think she did? It may not be the defining aspect of her character, but Taylor's definitely got some unreliable narrator stuff going on.
Quote #9
Suddenly, for one incredible moment, I remember something. That my mother smiled at me in wonder that day and said, "Look at my beautiful girl." (22.78)
Given that Taylor's haunted by the uncertainties of her mother, recalling the memory of the day in Sydney that her mother said she was beautiful is one of the real victories of her and Jonah's trip back into her past.