How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Drunk Rachel sees no consequences, she is either excessively expansive and optimistic or wrapped up in hate. She has no past, no future. She exists purely in the moment. (9.49)
Sober Rachel isn't all that different, actually; she also exists purely in the moment. It's even worse, in a way, because she exists in other people's moments. She wallows in Scott and Megan's problems instead of tending to her own.
Quote #8
I am no longer traveling to my imaginary office. I have given up the pretence. I can barely be bothered to get out of bed. I think I last brushed my teeth on Wednesday. (15.34)
About halfway through the book, things get really bad for Rachel. She wasn't really going anywhere when she took the train back and forth each day, but at least she was leaving the house. Now she doesn't even do that.
Quote #9
"We didn't even acknowledge that anything had changed. I got fatter and slower and more tired, we both got irritable and fought all the time, but nothing really changed until she came." (16.44)
We're not sure if Megan means that things changed or they didn't change; she contradicts herself here. But what matters about this confusing statement is that Megan hasn't ever been able to move past this moment when she had a baby and then accidentally killed it. That's not something you easily recover from.