I’m scared I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a state of yearning, regardless of where I am.

My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted. It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of miles away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, 'What’s the difference between a trip and a journey?' and my father said, 'Narnie, my love, when we get there, you’ll understand,' and that was the last thing he ever said.

I'll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself...I'll run to be emancipated.

How unladylike of you to mention such a thing.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world. If she was alive I'd probably be a better person.

I’m frightened that one morning there will not be enough to keep me going.

Who do you hang out with?" Natalia asks, looking over my shoulder. She's always done that. Wherever you are, whoever you are, she'll always look over your shoulder to see if there's someone more exciting to speak to. It used to make me feel paranoid.