“The dot that became a speck that became a blob that became a figure that became a boy”

“And shortly after that the blob became a figure. And then, as Bruno got even closer, he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a speck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person.”

“That's how I became the damaged party boy who wandered through the wreckage, blood streaming from his nose, asking questions that never required answers. That's how I became the boy who never understood how anything worked. That's how I became the boy who wouldn't save a friend. That's how I became the boy who couldn't love the girl.”

“Step by step, place became property, property became a mortgage, andmortgages became derivative investments.”

“I listened as the words became sentences and the sentences became pages and the pages became feelings and voices and places and people.”

“But such occasions of excellence became less and less frequent. As her technique became sounder, [her] sincerity became less necessary.”