“It was a long time ago , but people make mistakes when they think they can barry the past . It can simlpy flow to the surface .”

“That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”

“I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”

“the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion”

“It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”

“But Mariam hardly noticed, hardly cared...the future did not matter. And the past held only this wisdom: that Love was a damaging mistake and its accomplice, Hope, a treacherous illusion.”

“Time can be a greedy thing-sometimes it steals the details for itself.”