Split Tooth

“His job is to drive around town and chase the kids home and shoot stray dogs. He wants us to be safe in bed. Are beds safe anyways?”

For the narrator, considering the town safety officer, the idea that children are safer at home is false. She knows that her bed is not always a safe place. This quote sets up much of the sexual violence that she experiences throughout the book.

“Something awoke in me, an old memory; an ancient memory, of eating live flesh. It is a true joining of flesh to flesh. My spine straightened. When flesh is eaten live, you glean the spirit with the energy. That is why wild predators are so strong.”

The act of consuming live fish while swimming at the lake later gives the narrator several abilities and awakens in her ancient memories. This passage reflects the cyclical nature of life, where predators hunt prey. It also reflects the cycle of past lives. Reflecting on them, she gains knowledge about the world that aids her several times over the course of the narrative.

“I wonder what the process of letting it in would be. I am not afraid, only curious. I don’t feel like prey. I too am a predator.”

The knowledge that the narrator gained from eating live flesh aids her when she confronts the evil spirit, telling her what to do. Because she has the wisdom of a predator, she is an even match for the powerful spirit, ultimately defeating him alongside her cousin.