“The temptation to take the next step hung in the air around them...it was the apple: take one bite, and there was no going back.”

“You have lived all these years and you're still a grumpy teenage boy. That must take effort.”

“She looked like a grown-up, a calm, controlled grown-up, and she was glad for that one mercy. No one would be able to judge from her exterior that she was falling apart on the inside or that she didn't feel mature at all.”

“Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just just the next just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next maybe all there is is is just is just the next thing Roslyn's words stuck in her head & she could not stop repeating them Maybe all there is is just the next thing like a Hindu mantra & she was a yogin murmuring her secret prayer Maybe all there is just the next thingShe thought, That's a comfort!”

“Taking the law into your own hands, fuck what's wrong with that?”

“A man may accommodate himself to a disagreeable situation in a few months. The intolerable may take a little longer.”

“Is this really about keeping me safe or about you not wanting to share your sandbox with the others?”