She was with me. She did all of those things and so many more, things I would never tell anyone, and she never even loved me. Now that’s love.

Ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore -- "I'm easy; I'll eat anything" -- can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society.

Food serves two parallel purposes: it nourishes and it helps you remember. Eating and storytelling are inseparable-the saltwater is also tears; the honey not only tastes sweet, but makes us think of sweetness; the matzo is the bread of our affliction.

I missed you even when I was with you. That’s been my problem. I miss what I already have, and I surround myself with things that are missing.

Fiction works when it makes a reader feel something strongly.

The secret was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into.

I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness.