you remember what is lost, and you forget what's right in front of you.

People left a lot of things behind when they went in the water. Their clothes, their stuff, their makeup, their fixed-up hair, their voices, their hearing, their sight--at least as they normally experienced them....Some people lost their individuality in the water, but Riley always felt most herself. Water was supposed to symbolize renewal, she knew, but when Riley swam, pared down, alone, and unreachable--she felt a deeper sense of who she already was.

One must have a good memory to keep the promises one has made.

The present no matter what I brought couldn’t change the past. The Past was set and sealed.

Pain is fear, and I'm not afraid.

But then she hadn’t just learned to love this summer – she had also learned how to need.

You are not going to die, I know I said I'd let you, but I can't.