How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I do not want to talk about what I saw. But if you're to understand the rest, here's what you need to know: There wasn't a lot of body left (the sheriff said that it'd been exposed to animals). There wasn't a face. There wasn't a left or right hand. The body was wrapped in fabric from Agatha's blue-green ball gown. There was a clump of auburn hair. I started to shake. I still have nightmares (that body was in an advanced state of decomposition). (1.10)
We start off with a body that has been torn up in a lot of ways: shot in the face, exposed to the elements, scavenged by animals. We have violence from humans and nature here, which will go on to be a theme throughout the book, so keep your eyes peeled.
Quote #2
She touched the Springfield. "You always end up killing something. I don't know how you can be so sure about putting creatures to death." (6.11)
Georgie has never had a close encounter with human death until Sheriff McCabe brings that body in. However, she's happy to shoot animals for no reason other than to practice her skill with the Springfield, so she deals out violence all the time. Does the book make a statement about the relative morality of killing animals for sport? Does it have this effect on you as a reader?
Quote #3
My feet slipped and gave way. I rolled ten feet, ripping my sleeve, bruising every part of my body, and banging my cheek hard. I felt my cheek swell—heat rising in it. (No wonder my face later looked like a topographic map.) (12.26)
In her fit of grief over Agatha's death, Georgie manages to bang herself up something fierce. Now she looks as pained as she feels, having experienced a kind of emotional violence through being forced to confront the idea of losing her sister.