How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #1
Amy peered at the crepe sizzling in the pan and licked something off her wrist. She looked triumphant, wifely. If I took her in my arms, she would smell like berries and powdered sugar. (1.26)
It's interesting that the first time Amy makes an appearance in the story, she's doing something extremely sweet and feminine, almost Donna Reed-ish. Amy, however, is far from being a loving, submissive 1950s housewife—she's more like Donna Reed with a machete.
Quote #2
Go is slender and strange-faced, which is not to say unattractive. Her features just take a moment to make sense: the broad jaw; the pinched, pretty nose; the dark globe eyes. If this were a period movie, a man would tilt back his fedora, whistle at the sight of her, and say, "Now there's a helluva broad!" The face of a '30s screwball-movie queen doesn't always translate into our pixie-princess times. (3.2)
Nick's description of Go provides an interesting commentary on how our culture's definition of beauty has changed for women. As he suggests, at one time she may have been seen as quite attractive.
What's kind of fascinating, though, is that the description also sets up her role as one of the only strong, well-adjusted female characters in the book. She's sure of herself and is okay with being different and standing out in a crowd. That's a sharp contrast to Amy, who wants to hide in whatever persona she deems appropriate. No wonder they don't really like each other.
Quote #3
[Boney] was surprisingly ugly—brazenly, beyond the scope of everyday ugly […] I have an affinity for ugly women. I was raised by a trio of women who were hard on the eyes—my grandmother, my mother, her sister—and they were all smart and kind and funny and sturdy, good, good women. Amy was the first pretty girl I ever dated, really dated. (5.16)
No matter how much Nick wants to believe he's escaped becoming the kind of man his father was, his initial reaction to Boney gives him away—he's got a streak of misogyny in him too. In this case, his reaction to Boney could be related to the position of power she's in as a cop.