How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
My mother used to tell me that I had an overactive imagination; Tom said that, too. I can't help it. (1.1)
This is one of the very first lines in the book, and it informs our first impression of Rachel, making us wonder how much of what she says is the truth and how much is fantasy.
Quote #2
Twice a day, I am offered a view into other lives, just for a moment. There's something comforting about the sight of strangers safe at home. (1.4)
Like many people, Rachel engages in people watching. Unlike most people, she gets overly attached to the people she's watching.
Quote #3
I know that one warm summer evenings, the occupants of this house, Jason and Jess, sometimes climb out of the large sash window to sit on the makeshift terrace on top of the kitchen-extension roof. They are a perfect, golden couple. (1.14)
Rachel doesn't know anything about them. She just assumes they are perfect and golden (like toast) from the two minutes a day she sees them. In her imagination the other 1,438 minutes of the day are the same. That's a lot of minutes to fill in…