“The dress means no harm, after all. And it is new. It carries nothing inside it but the possible beginnings of her downfall.”

“Januz feels glad to have her in his arms--his wife, who would do anything to protect their son. This is how she presents herself. Like a soldier who would kill for her country. And her country is their son.”

“Memories shrink. Like a soap bar used over and over, they become deformed, weaker scented, too slight and slippery to hold.”

“He'd imagined peacetime would bring him a sense of belonging. During the war it kept him going, that thought of peace. He'd believed in it like a season he knew it would arrive one day”

“There is nothing so perfect as pinball and a pint at 11 a.m.”

“When people say " I just don't have enough time " they mean " I prioritized something else.”

“In a world where you are constantly asked to be 'committed,' it is liberating to give yourself the license to be a dilettante. Commit to nothing. Try everything.”