“If a girl found the right man, she might not need love stories. She might find them in a pair of strong arms before drifting off to sleep. Pages unread.”

“Once you've found that person that you truly love, they'll be in your heart forever. They'll never doubt your love for them because they know, you feel the same way for them.”

“She realized that home wasn't a place. It was here, safe in his arms. As long as she had this, everything would be all right.”

“All men should give books instead of flowers.”

“It was scary having that sort of power over a girl. You could hurt her in ways you might never understand.”

“I'd thought of her with unblinking eyes, moving always, across the pages of opened books with rapid precision, but as she stood in front of me, her eyes looked slow and watery. I capsized into them.”

“...I understand Mother's need, whatever she might say on the phone, what she really wants is to hear, before she closes her eyes, the voice of someone who loves her. Love is at last, our only rejoinder to darkness.”