In the end we had the pieces of the puzzle, but no matter how we put them together, gaps remained, oddly shaped emptinesses mapped by what surrounded them, like countries we couldn't name.
Jeffrey EugenidesSourmelina's secret (as Aunt Zo put it): 'Lina was one of those women they named the island after.
Jeffrey EugenidesThere's a kind of acting that goes on in my head when I'm writing a character where I put myself in their place.
Jeffrey EugenidesIt was possible to feel superior to other people and feel like a misfit at the same time.
Jeffrey EugenidesI tell my students that when you write, you should pretend youโre writing the best letter you ever wrote to the smartest friend you have. That way, youโll never dumb things down. You wonโt have to explain things that donโt need explaining. Youโll assume an intimacy and a natural shorthand, which is good because readers are smart and donโt wish to be condescended to.
Jeffrey Eugenides