How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
A flash of memory told me Cecile wasn't one for kissing and hugging. I had a lot of those memories clicking before me like projector slides in the dark. Lots of pictures, smells, and sounds flashing in and out. (1.26)
In an instant, memories of Cecile come flooding back to Delphine. Suddenly, she remembers how her mom was before she left. It doesn't all make sense, exactly, but it helps prepare Delphine for what to expect from mommy dearest when they meet in Oakland for the first time in years.
Quote #2
Still, flashes of memory popped before me. Flashes of Cecile writing on the walls, and on boxes… Flashes of paint smells… Papa painting over her pencil marks...Flashes of loud...Papa and Cecile. Angry talking. (4.12)
From her memories, we might not be able to tell what happened, but we know the emotion of it. Delphine remembers anger, sadness, happiness—all stuff that gives you the feels. Her memories are more about the impact of what took place, rather than the details of what was going down.
Quote #3
Papa didn't keep any picture of Cecile, but I had a sense of her. Fuzzy flashes of her always came and went. But I knew she was big, and tall, and Hershey colored like me. I knew I at least had that right. (3.27)
Check out how Delphine describes the process of remembering someone. The only thing she's confident about when it comes to her mother is her size and color—Cecile's more like an outline than a full person in Delphine's memory.