How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Your mother has always been problematic." (2.73)
Ah, the importance of tenses. Notice how Ellery says, "has been," instead of "had been" or "was." Because of the tense he uses, Partridge (and the reader) can infer that Partridge's mother is still alive.
Quote #2
She doesn't want to think of the word memento because it reminds her that she might soon be gone, but there it is in her mind. Memento. (3.53)
If you're trying not to think about something, that usually means that you're thinking about that very thing. Pressia doesn't want to think of herself as a memento, but because she doesn't want to think about the word, it sticks in her head.
Quote #3
The pink fibers break loose and stream past him into the fans and he thinks of the word confetti. (10.54)
Why all the emphasis on random words? Well, for a lot of the characters in Pure, a lot of words and the meanings behind those words are lost in their memories. Partridge can't describe what it would be like to get chopped up to pieces, but when the word confetti comes to mind, we as the reader think: "Ugh. That's a pretty violent way to die."