His books are kept on freestanding shelves hung at different angles on a sea-green wall. They defy gravity, as good books should.

The mistake is thinking that there can be an antidote to the uncertainty.

The truth feels different from other things. The closest you can come to describing it is that it feels like taking a perfect breath.

With some break-ups, all you can think about afterwards is how badly it ended and how much the other person hurt you. With others, you become sentimental for the good times and lose track of what went wrong.

Part of growing up is making sure your sense of reality isn't entirely grounded in your own mind.

I've always known I was gay, but it wasn't confirmed until I was in kindergarten. It was my teacher who said so. It was right there on my kindergarten report card: PAUL IS DEFINITELY GAY AND HAS VERY GOOD SENSE OF SELF.

I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.