“The secrets are left to the waves. Only the sea knows, my child, and she keeps her secrets well […] And maybe one day she will tell you.”

This quotation is important to the exposition of Surviving Savannah. It sets the scene and builds suspense by starting the mystery that drives the plot. By anthropomorphizing the sea, it also allows the reader to see the mystical side of the Pulaski disaster and how it will impact Everly, Lilly, and Augusta across time.

“I know this: we’re made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh.”

This quotation establishes one of the main beliefs that Everly holds. It illustrates how her character views the world and helps the reader gain insight into the decisions she makes and the goals she decides to pursue. While Maddox seeks to recover physical artifacts from the wreck of the Pulaski, Everly wants to recover its stories.

“Always needed but never wanted. That was how it felt to Augusta, a twenty-two-year-old single woman considered as good as a widow […] Also known as an extension of yet another man.”

Augusta’s character is concisely described in this quotation. She is a single woman who is consigned to the background even of her own life. The reader is given a clear understanding of the role Augusta has played and how she wants to change.