A great literary work can be completely, completely unpredictable. Which can sometimes make them very hard to read, but it gives them a great originality.

But I want to pray to Allah. I want to be a Christian.

I can well imagine an athiest's last words: "White, white! L-L-Love! My God!" - and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying "Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain," and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.

The idea of a flip book still really appeals to me. That idea of fiction and non-fiction.

Just as music is noise that makes sense, a painting is colour that makes sense, so a story is life that makes sense.

Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love - but sometimes it was so hard to love.

You can get used to anything - haven't I already said that? Isn't that what all survivors say?