"Tonight, your mother calls you Agnes for the first time. Agnes is not your name."
In "Manifest," this line introduces an eerie confrontation with identity and generational trauma. The protagonist, who has lived without a deep understanding of her family’s past, is suddenly referred to by a name that does not belong to her. This renaming signifies a dislocation from self, as if the protagonist is being forced into the past and family history she does not know. It also reflects how unresolved familial legacies can haunt and shape personal identity. The maternal lineage and its buried histories hold a ghostly power. It reveals that the protagonist's struggle with her mother is tied to forgotten and unspoken generations. Thus, it is a moment that adds tension to the ongoing theme of identity distortion and transformation in the collection.
"I think: Look at another man touching me, Timi."
In this passage from "Breastmilk," the protagonist is in a hospital where her breastmilk is being tested before it can be given to her newborn. While her husband watches, the doctor performs an intimate examination. Consequently, the protagonist’s mind wanders to the emotionally loaded act of being touched by another man. This moment is charged with guilt and echoes the conflict in their marriage. It emanates from her husband's previous betrayal and the protagonist’s struggle with her body and motherhood. The act of lactation becomes both clinical and alien as she faces an emotional disconnection from her child. This pressure of new motherhood compounds the trauma of a relationship strained by infidelity. Therefore, it makes the examination a physical manifestation of emotional vulnerability and distrust.
"There is no fixing…A collapsed house cannot un-collapse. Rubble is also an objective expression of history. But Arit won’t be its warden. She won’t be stuck."
In this quote from "The Hollow," Arit reflects on the impossibility of "fixing" a house that has collapsed. The house becomes a symbol of the physical and emotional damage that cannot be undone. Arit's decision not to be "its warden" shows her resolve to move forward. This line carries a powerful message about the past and how some structures are beyond repair. The broader meaning speaks to how people try to "fix" broken parts of their lives. Thus, Arit’s desire to walk away from the house reflects a more personal liberation from being bound by history and mistakes. Instead of staying trapped in the "rubble" of her past, she chooses freedom and the possibility of moving on.
