“Anna seems warmer every time I meet her, thinks Lou. Funny, that. Some people, who seem friendly on first impression, turn out to be disappointingly superficial, whereas the aloof ones, like Anna, emerge as affectionate and loyal.”

“But somewhere out there is the one that matters. Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breath out of living throats.I think of her again. Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood.”

“Fynn, I love you.' When Anna said that, every word was shattered with the fullness of meaning she packed into it. Her 'I' was a totality. Whatever this 'I' was for Anna it was packed tight with being. Like the light that didn't fray, Anna's 'I' didn't fray either; it was pure and all of one piece. Her use of the word 'love' was not sentimental or mushy, it was impelling and full of courage and encouragement. For Anna, 'love' meant the recognition of perfectibility in another. Anna 'saw' a person in every part. Anna 'saw' a 'you'. Now that is something to experience, to be seen as a 'you', clearly and definitely, with no parts hidden. Wonderful and frightening. I'd always understood that it was Mister God who saw you clearly and in your entirety but then all Anna's efforts were directed to being like Mister God, so perhaps the trick is catching if only you try hard enough.”

“I'm just saying that if it were Anna, I'd want to meet her coworkers. See where she's spending her time."I stare at him, hard. "Obviously.”

“Since September,I sat one seat behind Anna in algebra.Passed papers to her every day.Studied for tons of tests together.Though it often seemed impossible, Eventually,We always found the unknown for X.But not this time.This equationBounces against my brain.And sneers at all attempted answers.I know I'll re-examine the variables,And reanalyze the unknowns, maybe forever. ButIt won't matter.Because, Anna-I know I'll never figure out Y.Y you didn't want to live-And Y I never noticed.”

“Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina" when asked the three best novels of all time.”