“Frankly,the image of his father wearing bell-bottoms,smoking a joint, and calling his mother a “totallygroovy chick” was wrong on so many levels hewanted to erase the whole thing from his memory”

“They called him John Storm: John after his grandfather, but Storm after his father and his mother.”

“She shrugged. "I'm surprised your mother didn't inform you of my presence. Or Belle. She has spoken about you a great deal."His eyes narrowed as his heart sank. "You've become friendly with Belle?" He saw all his hopes for a flirtation with this girl going up in smoke.”

“He calls his brother. it is the wrong brother from whom to seek consolation, but what can he do? When it comes to consolation it is always the wrong brother, the wrong father, the wrong mother, the wrong wife, which is why one must be content to console oneself and be strong and go on in life consoling others.”

“I can't believe I'm about to drink with my father- this is wrong on so many levels.”

“He had lived as a handful of taffy between his mother and his father all his life, had been pulled in so many directions, stretched here and there, that all he could do was plaster a mighty smile on his face.”