Rachel Cusk's books are like pop-up volumes for grown-ups, the prose springing out of the page to bop you neatly between the eyes with its insights.

It must be said that Brighton, unlike London, makes driving seem very appealing. Instead of glowering faces and angry horns on all sides, we have the coast road in front of us and the Sussex Downs just 10 minutes behind us.

A wedding is a funeral which masquerades as a feast. And the greater the pageantry, the deeper the savagery.

Lots of women love to accuse men of being immature when the fellow in question displays a reluctance to "commit"...

I won't be going to any New Year's Eve parties because I think they're naff. No one over the age of 15 should bother going to parties.

I feel even less patience with transsexuals.

I almost choke on my popcorn when I hear film stars, who walk on red carpets as much as the rest of us do on zebra crossings, criticising youngsters who crave fame.