I try to be accommodating, but I'm pretty much a loner.

Sometimes I would get frustrated, I'd think, "You know, this is a good book, how come no one is paying attention to it?" So it's nice to have some recognition.

Contradictions make people feel off. They'll say, "Hey, you just said this and now this person is doing that, how is that possible?"

If New York is the City That Never Sleeps, then Los Angeles is the City That's Always Passed Out on the Couch.

The other thing [my psychology professor] said to me was that I was always very mindful of the person who was away from the group, that I was always trying to bring them in.

Maybe I'm just sensitive to that person who's on the outside.

I'm hugely honored [with the Man Booker Prize].