If you stop thinking, if you stop wondering, you die.

I was very, very sick when I was growing up in Russia. The ambulance constantly came to our house. I had horrible asthma that is easily treated in America, but they didn't even have inhalers back in Russia.

All of my books have an element of a man who is in love with somebody and needs them desperately, not just for procreation but for being able to fully unbosom himself. He only feels comfortable discussing things with women. Which is funny, because 80 percent of readers are women!

The radio station was playing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, a sure sign that things were much worse than they appeared.

I love librarians more than any other people in the world. When I was an immigrant kid, they’ve made me feel like a human being and they gave me books that taught me English.

We are now part of this giant machine where every second we have to take out a device and contribute our thoughts and opinions.

My first book really did change my life. It allowed me to fully express myself. There was a sense that I was worth something as an artist.