And if all of us are play-acting, there can be no such thing as a soul mate, because we don't have genuine souls.

There's a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.

My dad had limitations. That's what my good-hearted mom always told us. He had limitations, but he meant no harm. It was kind of her to say, but he did do harm.

What a generous thing that is, I realize, for a husband to try to make his wife laugh.

To pretend to be calm is to be calm, in a way.

I'm a true-crime addict. It's not something I'm particularly proud of, but I can't stop.

I often don't say things out loud, even when I should. I contain and compartmentalize to a disturbing degree: In my belly-basement are hundreds of bottles of rage, despair, fear, but you'd never guess from looking at me.