“She could become a spinster, like Emily Dickinson, writing poems full of dashes and brilliance, and never gaining weight.”

“To her surprise, Madeleine found herself contemplating this proposal. Why not tell her parents everything, curl up in the backseat of the car, and let them take her home? She could move into her old bedroom, with the sleigh bed and the Madeline wallpaper. She could become a spinster, like Emily Dickinson, writing poems full of dashes and brilliance, and never gaining weight.”

“Eating is natural. Gaining weight is your choice.”

“She thought a writer should work harder writing a book than she did reading it.”

“Jerome was sliding and climbing on top of me and it felt like it had the night before, like a crushing weight. So do boys and men announce their intentions. They cover you like a sarcophagus lid. And call it love.”

“She held herself very straight, like Audrey Hepburn, whom all women idolize and men never think about.”

“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”