“The words were strung in the air like garland. She could almost see them.”

“Oysters, clams, and cockles were cat's magic words, and like all good magic words they could take her almost anywhere.”

“She could smell the pages. She could almost taste the words as they stacked up around her.”

“Her pleasure went on and on, and so did Ben's. Ben could almost smell the gardenia, could almost see her pinning it on, her hands all thumbs."You're selling your store?" she said.There was radiance between them now. There were overtones and undertones to everything they said. The talk itself was formal, lifeless.--"Money Talks”

“When I'm writing, I'm waiting to see somebody, and I'm waiting to hear them. It's almost like conjuring spirits out of the air, using your own imaginative instability.”

“I couldn't tell what colour her eyes were. They were wet and dark and shining, like pools of deep, still water. For a second I thought I could see pictures in them, like I was looking right inside her to where her memories were. She smiled, and I wondered if she knew what I'd seen or if she could see the pictures I kept hidden inside myself.”