The danger would be going back, or staying still. The only way out was through. The past was ruins, but the present was still in play.
Lev GrossmanThe real problem with being around James was that he was always the hero. And what did that make you? Either the sidekick or the villain.
Lev GrossmanThough the funny thing about never being asked for anything is that after a while you start to feel like maybe you donโt have anything worth giving.
Lev GrossmanWe're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize that it isn't, we start looking around for the real world.
Lev GrossmanShe still had her bad days, no question, when the black dog of depression sniffed her out and settled its crushing weight on her chest and breathed its pungent dog breath in her face. On those days she called in sick to the IT shop where, most days, she untangled tangled networks for a song. On those days she pulled down the shades and ran dark for twelve or twenty-four or seventy-two hours, however long it took for the black dog to go on home to its dark master.
Lev Grossman