It was in the air, or so it seemed to Kiki, this hatred of women and their bodies- it seeped in with every draught in the house; people brought it home on their shoes, they breathed it in off their newspapers. There was no way to control it.

All novels attempt to cut neural routes through the brain, to convince us that down this road the true future of the novel lies.

For me, George Saunders novel [Lincoln in the Bardo] is about a problem of pain.

Most of the cruelty in the world is just misplaced energy.

First rule of writing: When still a child, make sure you read a lot of books. Spend more time doing this than anything else.

Novels are not about expressing yourself, they're about something beautiful, funny, clever and organic. Self-expression ? Go and ring a bell in a yard if you want to express yourself.

Nowadays, I know the true reason I read is to feel less alone, to make a connection with a consciousness other than my own.