“Her voice sounded like a string that was fraying.”

“A filament of sensation sizzled between them, like a thin string of kerosene that, for the love of a match, could turn into a wall of fire.”

“She suddenly remembered studying the brain in science class- how a steel rod pierced a man's skull, and he opened his mouth to speak Portuguese, a language he'd never studied. Maybe it would be like this, now, for Josie. Maybe her native tongue, from here on in, would be a string of lies.”

“Sara: "You are so brave," I tell her, and then I smile. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you."To my surprise, Kate shakes her head hard. Her voice is a feather, a thread. "No Mommy," she says. "You'd be sick.”

“Her voice was caught in the shell of my ear, as if it were the ocean.”

“You give her all your french fries, even when she won't give you back onion rings,' Sophie says. 'And when you say her name it sounds different.'How?'Sophie thinks. 'Like it's covered with blankets.”

“Seeing her sitting there unresponsive makes me realize that silence has a sound.”