The 'good' mother, with her fixed smile, her rigidity, her goody-goody outlook, her obsession with unnecessary hygiene, is in fact a fool. It is the 'bad' mother, unafraid of a joke and a glass of wine, richly self-expressive, scornful of suburban values, who is, in reality, good.
Rachel CuskA neighbor is something that belongs to the stable world of home life, the thing that lives next door to you.
Rachel CuskDivorce also entails the beginning of a supposition that that familial reality might have obstructed one's ability to perceive others.
Rachel CuskThe distinctive feature of my family was intolerance of sensitivity and emotion - everything's great, it all has to be great all the time and why do you have to spoil it? Whereas probably the most fundamental and important thing to me has been defending my right to tell the truth about how I feel.
Rachel Cusk