We are never allowed to forget that some books are badly written; we should remember that sometimes they're badly read, too.

Did I do and say these things? Yes, I did. Are there any mitigating circumstances? Not really, unless any circumstances {in other words, context) can be regarded as mitigating. And before you judge, although you have probably already done so, go away and write down the four worst things you have done to a partner, even if - especially if - your partner doesn't know about them. Don't dress things up, or try to explain them; just write them down, in a list, in the plainest language possible. Finished? Ok, so who's the arsehole now?

Like all books that have that kind of momentum, it starts from word of mouth.

But the internet had changed everything: nobody was forgotten anymore.

Everything's complicated, even those things that seem flat in their bleakness or sadness.

I guess I should have forgotten about it ages ago, but forgetting isn't something I'm very good at.

No time spent with a book is ever entirely wasted, even if the experience is not a happy one: there’s always something to be learned. It’s just that, every now and again, you can hit a patch of reading that makes you feel as if you’re pootling about. [...] But what can you do about it? We don’t choose to waste our reading time; it just happens. The books let us down.