One of the reasons that art is important to me is sometimes it actually feels more coherent than life. It orders the chaos.
Jeffrey EugenidesThe 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.
Jeffrey EugenidesNovelists are always resisting autobiographical readings of their work, because they know how false those can be.
Jeffrey EugenidesEveryone struggles against despair, but it always wins in the end. It has to. It's the thing that lets us say goodbye.
Jeffrey Eugenides