“At the time, it seemed to me that Jeremy was spending a lot of time with a piece of plastic pressed against his ear, talking to himself. Which was fine by me. We all have our eccentricities. Jeremy liked talking to plastic; I liked hunting and eating the rats that ventured into the motel room. Or, at least I did like hunting and eating the rats, until Jeremy caught me and promptly kiboshed that hobby. Some of us are less tolerant of eccentricities than others.”

“Jeremy and Karl and Elizabeth have known each other since the first day of kindergarten. Amy and Talis are a year younger...Now the five are inseparable; invincible. They imagine that life will always be like this--like a television show in eternal syndication--that they will always have each other. They use the same vocabulary. They borrow each other's books and music. They share lunches, and they never say anything when Jeremy comes over and takes a shower. They all know Jeremy's father is eccentric. He's supposed to be eccentric. He's a novelist.”

“I was very strict on that point. No devouring classmates." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Other parents warn their kids not to talk to strangers. I had to warn mine not to eat them.”

“Be motivated like the falcon,hunt gloriously.Be magnificent as the leopard,fight to win.Spend less time withnightingales and peacocks.One is all talk,the other only color.”

“Taylor: “Show me your craftiness. I’ll give you one question.”Jeremy: “I’m a big believer in first impressions,” he finally said. “Tell me what your first thought was when Jason walked into the courtroom.”Taylor: “I vowed to hate him forever.”Jeremy: “That’s exactly what I said nineteen years ago, five minutes after he first walked into our dorm room.”....Jason : “Did I miss something?”Taylor: “You’re a bit older than I thought, Jason Andrews.”Jason glanced quickly at Jeremy, who held up his hands innocently.Jeremy: “I swear, she forced it out of me.”

“ All of a sudden, inviting Jeremy up to my room seemed like a terrible idea. I wanted him too much. My desire for him was like a thing separate from me, a wild animal with a mind of its own, attacking the bars of the cage I kept it in, looking for a weak spot." from Struck”