His avenging angel had come to call him home. A suicide was waiting for him back in his own world, and by now he ought to have learned enough to get through it successfully.

In the end, all disguises must drop.

Always the bridesmaid , never the bride." Always the godfather, never the god".

Not an ugly color, Nanny thought. Just not a human color.

When the times are a crucible, when the air is full of crisis, those who are the most themselves are the victims.

Approval is overrated...Approval and disapproval alike satisfy those who deliver it more than those who receive it. I don't care for approval, and I don't mind doing without.

When the dawn light is coursing through the slats in the shutters at last, making thin stripes on the floor, she, tossing, decides that for every human soul there must surely be a possible childhood worth living, but once it slips by, there isn’t any reclaiming it or revising it.