Water was something he loved, something he respected. He understood its beauty and its dangers. He talked about swimming as if it were a way of life.

I wondered if my smile was as big as hers. Maybe as big. But not as beautiful.

The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.

For a moment, I thought of the word happy and it was a word that just, well, it felt like it was visiting me. I knew it wouldn’t last for very long and I’d be sad again and then it would be worse because it’s one thing to be sad and it’s another thing to be sad once you’ve been happy. Being sad after you’ve been happy is the worst thing in the world.

I do that with all of my characters. They have one of the flaws I have, and I zero in on that flaw.

Mostly, I think people are fake. Well, what do you expect? The fake world we live in conspires to make us all fakes.

Young men and women come of age when they look at their parents and see them not only as their parents but as people. They gain a lot of compassion, and it's easier to accept their flaws.