“There’s something off about the house. Something that nags at me, makes me feel uneasy, though I don’t know what it is that makes me feel this way.”

Kubica establishes the novel’s tense and mysterious mood in the opening phrase by having the protagonist, Sadie, use phrases such as “nags at me” and “makes me feel uneasy” when describing the house. It is later described as dark and gloomy, using the setting to contribute to Sadie’s general anxiety. Kubica’s use of mood and setting to create suspense taps into characteristics often seen in gothic literature.

“On the surface there’s nothing not to like. But I know better than to take things at face value. It doesn’t help that the day, like the house, is gray. If the sun were out maybe I’d feel differently.”

This simple quote holds the key to the entire novel: Never take things at face value. It provides a way to interpret events, even when Sadie herself so often jumps to conclusions and misinterprets things. It is also an example of foreshadowing, a warning of future events. Foreshadowing is a common literary device used in psychological thrillers.

“I wonder now, and not for the first time this week, what kind of disastrous effect this change will have on our family. It can’t possibly be the fresh start Will so auspiciously believes it to be.”

This quote closes Sadie’s first entry, and the word “disastrous” underscores the sense of foreboding. Sadie’s uncertainty is also highlighted (she has “wondered” more than once), as well as her difference from Will, who seems to be more optimistic about the future.