How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"How long has it been in your family?"
"Since the gold-rush days," Laurel's mom said. "My great-some-odd-grandfather claimed the land and built the first cabin there. Never found gold, though. Everyone in my family has lived there at one time or another ever since." (7.30-31)
Laurel's mom's family has some serious history going on with that piece of land. Since the Gold Rush happened in the mid-1800s or so, that means Laurel's family has been on the land for over a century. That's a long time by human standards, especially if you're an American. We don't know much about the specifics of faerie lifespans, but it might be a long time for them too, we're not sure.
Quote #2
"We were really hippies back then […] I used to take that guitar to sit-ins. I'd play 'We Shall Not Be Moved' terribly off-key and everyone would bellow along. Remember that?"
Her dad smiled and shook his head. "The good ol' days," he said sarcastically. (8.7-8)
Laurel's mom and dad reminisce about being hippies back in the day, even though from Laurel's perspective they're still pretty hippie now. When they were both at Berkeley they'd go to protests and do hippie stuff like that. Not that life in Berkeley has changed significantly, since there are still tons of protests and hippies hanging out. But it's interesting that Laurel's dad remembers the past a bit less nostalgically than Laurel's mom.
Quote #3
"You don't know me, do you?" he asked. She was slow to answer. She felt like she did know him. There was a memory there, at the edge of her mind, but the harder she reached for it, the faster it slipped away. (8.31-32)
When Tamani and Laurel meet for the first time—well, the first time from her perspective—she feels like she sort of knows him. But since she doesn't have any memories of her faerie life, and at this point she doesn't even know she's a faerie, it could just be a really strong sense of déjà vu for all she knows. You just keep telling yourself that, Laurel.
Quote #4
"Mom," Laurel said haltingly, "I wanted to talk to you about the land. It's been in your family for so long. And we lived there for my whole life…As long as I can remember, anyway." Unexpected tears prickled at her eyes when she looked back up at her mom. "It's the most magical place in the world. I wish you wouldn't sell it." (15.17)
Having memories about a place is a pretty good way to become attached to that place. Well, assuming they're good memories (which Laurel's are). She associates the land with her happy, hippie childhood, and now she also associates the land with her faerie heritage, which she's eager to learn more about and protect. We can't really blame her for wanting her mom to keep the land.
Quote #5
Laurel could see in her mind a ten-year-old Chelsea—opinionated and outspoken just like now, and not really fitting in—meeting David for the first time. Nonjudgmental, accepting David. It was no wonder Chelsea had latched on to him. (16.51)
Laurel's not the only one in the book who has all these issues about memory and the past. Every character comes with a past, and here, we get a glimpse into the history David and Chelsea share. As a kid, Chelsea probably had trouble making friends, so it makes sense that once she met David, who was super-friendly and accepting, she'd want to hang on to him. Laurel never really got to make those kinds of connections with other kids since she was homeschooled, so it's neat for her to learn about how her friends became friends.
Quote #6
"I like old things. They have… history, and stories." (17.54)
Laurel says this while talking about why she likes her mom's old guitar. We're guessing she does a lot better in history and English than biology (and we do find out that she's getting an A in English, but we don't hear anything about her history grades).
Quote #7
"And if the gates are destroyed, Avalon will be open to anyone. Our home will become a place of war and destruction again. We have records of the terrible revenge the trolls took on Camelot, and we can only imagine the similar fate that awaits Avalon if they find their way in." (20.112)
When Tamani gives Laurel this brief faerie history lesson (including great figures such as King Arthur and Merlin), the conflict between the faeries and the trolls comes up. We don't hear much about what happened to Camelot, but apparently it was bad. Very bad. Bad enough that the faeries are constantly on guard, trying to prevent something similar from happening to Avalon. No one wants to see history repeat itself, right? That is, after all, one of the points of studying history.
Quote #8
"You don't remember," Laurel said softly. "Of course you don't remember." They wouldn't have let her mom remember the dozens of times she must have suspected something was wrong. The hundreds of times something was just a little too weird. Laurel suddenly felt weak. "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry." (24.52)
It is super creepy for Laurel to realize just how many times the faerie sentries must have messed with her mom's memories in order to prevent her from realizing Laurel wasn't human. How authentic can a parent-child relationship be when both sides have had a bunch of memories erased? Does Laurel's mom truly even know her daughter? We'd like to think that the faeries left most of Laurel's mom's memories intact, but we don't know that for sure. And faeries are kind of tricksy—rather like hobbitses.
Quote #9
"I knew you, Laurel, and you knew me. We were just friends, but we were such good friends… You said you'd try to remember me, but they made you forget. I thought I would die the first time you looked at me and didn't recognize me." (25.73)
Man, this is rough on Tamani. What must it be like to watch your best friend get their memories wiped and not even recognize you anymore? All their shared history, all their inside jokes, all the affection they had for each other, just… gone. From Laurel's side, at least. Tamani still feels and remembers all that stuff, but it's not reciprocated. Bummer.
Quote #10
"I lied—about the ring I mean […] I didn't just give you a random ring. It was yours. You gave it to me to keep until the time came to return it to you. You thought—you hoped—it might help you remember your life before you came here." He shrugged. "Obviously it didn't work, but I promised you I'd try." (25.75)
Sometimes a physical object can spark memories associated with that object. Past-faerie-Laurel must have been pretty crafty in order to suggest to Tamani that he should give her back her faerie ring after she's had her memories erased to see if it works. Too bad it doesn't.