To start with, look at all the books.

that since Cecilia’s suicide, the Lisbon’s could hardly wait for the night to forget themselves in sleep

You went out with a girl at first because the sheer sight of her made you weak in the knees. You fell in love and were desperate not to let her get away. And yet the more you thought about her, the less you knew who she was. The hope was that love transcended all differences. That was the hope.

Dieting fooled you into thinking you could control your life.

But, like anyone in love, Madeleine believed that her own relationship was different from every other relationship, immune from typical problems.

If Mitchell was ever going to become a good Christian, he would have to stop disliking people so intensely.

The window gave onto a view of dove-gray roofs and balconies, each one containing the same cracked flowerpot and sleeping feline. It was as if the entire city of Paris had agreed to abide by a single understated taste. Each neighbor was doing his or her own to keep up standards, which was difficult because the French ideal wasn't clearly delineated like the neatness and greenness of American lawns, but more of a picturesque disrepair. It took courage to let things fall apart so beautifully.