It's like the human race has been programmed for misery.

It felt good, the whole family together on a sunny morning in a wholesome environment. If it hadn't been for the warshiping God part, he would have happily attended church on a regular basis.

I used to describe myself as a comic novelist, but my concerns seem to have darkened over the past few years.

Every minute we were together, I felt like I was wandering in the dark through a strange house, groping for a light switch. And then, whenever I found one and turned it on, the bulb was dead.

I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been suburban experiences.

It's not the cheating. It's the hunger for an alternative. The refusal to accept unhappiness.

When I was writing 'The Abstinence Teacher,' I really tried to immerse myself in contemporary American evangelical culture.