In almost every thriller, a point is reached when someone, usually calling from a phone booth, telephones with a vital piece of information, which he cannot divulge by phone. By the time the hero arrives at the place where they had arranged to meet, the caller is dead, or too near death to tell. There is never an explanation for the reluctance of the caller to impart his message in the first place.
Renata AdlerDo you realize how angry you sound?” must be one of the most infuriating questions in the language.
Renata AdlerA favorite strategy was the paragraph-terminating: Right? Followed immediately by Wrong. This linear invitation to a mugging was considered a strategy of wit.
Renata AdlerPeople have been modeling their lives after films for years, but the medium is somehow unsuited to moral lessons, cautionary tales or polemics of any kind.
Renata AdlerWriting about writing is a bit like talking about a conversation you are having; it tends to obscure desperation about where the next word is coming from.
Renata Adler