A woman without a man -- a condition of 'manlessness' -- is defined as alone. But a single mother is less alone than the average housewife.

Insomnia’s different,” I said. It was hard to explain this to people. “You know the light that comes on when you open the refrigerator door? Just imagine it stays on all the time, even after you close the door. That’s what it’s like in my head. The light stays on.

If someone does learn about the world from reading a novel of mine, that makes me very happy. It's probably not what brings me into the novel in the first place - I usually am pulled in by some big question about the world and human nature that I'm not going to resolve in the course of the novel. But I'm very devoted to getting my facts straight.

If you ask me, when something extraordinary shows up in your life in the middle of the night, you give it a name and make it the best home you can.

I personally am inclined to approach [housework] the way governments treat dissent: ignore it until it revolts.

Sleeping alone seemed unnatural to me, and pitiful, something done in hospitals or when you're contagious.

If you're standing in the manure pile, it's somebody's job to mention the stink.