When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story.

It's better to be nominated for awards than not to be nominated for them, but of course to some degree such awards [National Book Award] are always subjective.

It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with honestly, with sufficient clarity, and detail.

When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story.

[T]he astonishing purity of pain, how it will not be mixed with any other sensation.

Everybody should customize their names.

When readers don't like the book, it's usually because they feel that romantic love is pass or somehow needs more irony.