“The stink of rot and ruin, of old dreams, broken screams, and wicked, dirty little things.”

“Violet carved her hate into her flesh one name at a time.”

“When I am perfect, I will be allowed to leave.”

“The cells of my body store fear the way others' do fat. Every terrifying and traumatic thing I've ever experienced is still held within my muscle fiber as well as in my brain tissue. It pervades nearly every aspect of my life and influences nearly all my actions. Everyone thinks of me as being so brave, but I recognize my own cowardice in all I do. Sometimes I feel fear building up in my throat like a scream.”

“Sweetie, she-warriors don"t scream. We wow our men with a look, tame them with a smile.”

“Down here in the deep, dark South we know and live with the real world. Candy-Land idealism is quietlly suffocated in the relentless humidity. This is the world where fist meets face. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.”

“Everywhere you look you see people with things that you do not have, and it has a profound mental effect.”