no two writers go about things in exactly the same way (intro)

I had never given much thought to how I would die, but dying in the place of someone I love doesn't seem like such a bad way to go.

Bella, can you drop the rock, please? Carefully. Don’t hurt yourself.

What were you two doing last night, discussing the national debt?

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, distracted. "No." I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full - of butterflies.

It was sort of the pattern to my life - I'd never been strong enough to deal with the things outside my control, to attack the enemies or outrun them. To avoid the pain. Always human and weak, the only thing I'd ever been able to do was keep going. Endure. Survive.

If we had happy endings, we’d all be under gravestones now.