Memories and the Past Quotes in In The Woods

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Picture a summer stolen whole from some coming-of-age film set in small-town 1950s. (Prologue.1)

The first line of the book colors Rob's memories of Knocknaree with an almost-perfect Sepia-toned Instagram filter, just as many childhood memories are. But note French's word choice of "stolen." It's a chilling word that foreshadows the crime, and Rob's childhood being stolen from him, along with his memories.

Quote #2

I don't remember very many specifics about that evening, and according to Cassie neither does she. (1.36)

While in the middle of the case, all the nights Rob and Cassie spend together kind of blend into one. We're not sure how Rob knows what Cassie does and doesn't remember, though, because by the end of the book they're not on speaking terms.

Quote #3

runner heels dug into the earth of the bank, leaf-shadows dappling a red T-shirt, fishing-rods of branches and string, slapping at midges: Shut up! You'll scare the fish— (2.23)

This little italicized fragment is one of the first of Rob's repressed memories that resurfaces. It's a good way to capture memory. There's no real beginning, no real end, and it just pops up out of nowhere.