Tim Thornton's portrait of a pop culture obsession is so convincing that one can't help wishing that his fictional alt rock band actually existed, or suspecting that they did. The Alternative Hero is a weirdly compelling portrait of fanatic fandom which reads like High Fidelity at high volume.

If being a spokesman for a generation is a fleeting occupation, being a symbol of an era is downright dangerous for anyone who has the bad luck to outlive it.

We've been hearing about the death of the novel ever since the day after Don Quixote was published.

The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families.

I realized that I might not ever make it as a writer, that it might be because I wasn't good enough, or that it might be because the odds were just too long.

I like the fact that I'm living in the world rather than in a university.

Love is the eternal quest: almost everyone wants to love and be loved.