“With a book, she could at least visit with people, even if it was vicariously, even if they didn't exist beyond someone's imagination.”

“Books allowed her vicarious tastes of infinite variety, but they didn't supplant the need to venture out into the big and the messy. In fact, just the opposite. Books convinced her that something more existed---something intuitive, beyond reason---and they whetted her appetite to find it.”

“She found it curious and frightening that she could deeply dislike someone she didn’t even know. It wasn’t her. At least, it wasn’t how she used to be.”

“Love wasn't rational; there was no proof that it even existed outside of people's imaginings.”

“Imagine waking up one morning and finding a piece of yourself you didn't even know existed.”

“I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with someone even if they could have. I need to know these people exist.”