“More and more often these days days, though, Holly found herself thinking that perhaps what God wanted was not to be feared or obeyed or even to be worshiped -but maybe God just wanted to be wondered about.”

“Sometimes Holly could start to see the order in things, she got a glimmer of a pattern. And that thing everyone seems to say these days, about how things always happen for a reason- Holly was getting close to being willing to concede that that was maybe, possibly true.”

“Punish you for what?" said Jack."Everything! Nothing. I don't know. That's the problem," said Holly. "That's what happens when you grow up the way I did. You spend the rest of your life just waiting for God to smite the shit out of you.”

“It's interesting said Jack."What is?""You believe in God." he said. You just don't believe that God is good.”

“It was awful, but it's over. And now I feel like I'm finally coming up for air.""Yes, well, it's been a very stressful time for both of us," said Leonard."How has it been stressful for you? said Holly."I had that move."Holly just looked at him."What," said Leonard."You moved apartments" said Holly.”

“There was a guy roasting chestnuts on the street corner, and the smell wafted over, hinting at the coming Winter, but in a good way, in the way that makes you think about Christmas and snow days and fires crackling away in fireplaces.”

“I wanted a boyfriend who was a Christian but who wasn't uptight about it, who was good-looking and intelligent and had an interesting job and a sense of humor, who said "fuck" when the situation warranted it, who had attempted to but been unable to finish St. Augustine's City of God, who could argue politics with my mother and talk business with my father, who liked Indian food and had nice friends and knew how to dress and would like someday to live abroad.”