Everything people do that doesnโt work has to be somebody elseโs fault. Next time you know, geezersโll be suing the government for getting old and kidsโll be taking their mommies to court because they came out ugly.
Lionel ShriverNo eleven-year-old has any real grasp of death. He doesn't have any real concept of other people--that they feel pain, even that they exist. And his own adult future isn't real to him, either. Makes it that much easier to throw away.
Lionel ShriverBuilt like an oak tree, against which I could pitch my pillow and read; mornings, I could curl into the crook of your branches.
Lionel ShriverI realize it's commonplace for parents to say to their child sternly, 'I love you, but I don't always like you.' But what kind of love is that? It seems to me that comes down to, 'I'm not oblivious to you - that is, you can still hurt my feelings - but I can't stand having you around.' Who wants to be loved like that? Given a choice, I might skip the deep blood tie and settle for being liked. I wonder if wouldn't have been more moved if my own mother had taken me in her arms and said, 'I like you.' I wonder if just enjoying your kid's company isn't more important.
Lionel Shriver