On a Quiet Street

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction, violence, and domestic abuse. The text also contains offensive language about mental health conditions, which the guide replicates in quotation only.

“Nothing ever happens in Brighton Hills. Well, nothing you can see, anyway. It all happens in whispers and behind closed doors: it swirls around in rumors and sideways glances, even though the surface is glossy and calm.”

The opening line of On a Quiet Street sets the scene for the events that follow. It establishes that, despite appearances, life in the wealthy gated community of Brighton Hills is not as rosy as it seems. This employs a classic trope of the suburbs often employed in American literature and film.

“He’s lying to me. He forgot to be consistent. It’s a retirement party, Finn, you bastard, not a birthday party. It’s happening again. Who the fuck is C?”

In this quote, Cora realizes that Finn is lying to her about his plans for that evening. Glass foreshadows Cora’s eventual divorce of Finn by portraying her internal accusatory monologue that she doesn’t yet have the strength to say out loud. Although he has frequently dismissed her suspicions as “paranoid,” she now has evidence of his infidelity.

“It was too good to be true. I should have known it was all a little too fairy-tale to be real and something would ruin it.

But shortly after I moved to this country that I have no business being in, the terrible night happened, and everything changed. I changed.”

Nicola is highly aware of how she was gradually entrapped in an abusive relationship by her husband, Lucas. This quote hints at troubles in her marriage long before the full extent of her captivity is revealed. This is an example of backshadowing, as something referred to early is not fully explained until later in the text.