Mailan Doquang > Quotes

“When you lived through one catastrophe, you spent the rest of your life girding yourself for the next.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“Bangkok between the hours of five and six in the morning was a marvel to behold. Golden spires and glass skyscrapers appeared as if by magic as the city shed its cloak of darkness, rising like stalagmites from a cave floor. Signs of life slowly materialized across the city as the last of the stars phased out of the sky. Industrious vendors hauled a dizzying array of food and wares in preparation for the day ahead, while Buddhist monks in saffron robes processed through the streets dispensing blessings in exchange for alms. The sight was captivating enough to move even the most jaded observer.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“A ladder did not descend from the sky, nor did a magical beanstalk sprout from the earth, but something just as unlikely occurred”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“She had learned long ago that making excuses was one of the things people did best, no matter the circumstances.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“The cost of her failures filled her with profound sadness. The feeling washed over her. It blotted out fear. It blotted out everything.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“Reminders that she was different were everywhere and nowhere. Subtle looks. Pregnant silences. Being asked where she was really from. What was the saying? A thousand little cuts?”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“In her opinion, anyone who went to church more than once a day was inherently untrustworthy.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies

“Doing one bad thing didn’t automatically make someone a bad person. If that were true, she was beyond redemption.”
― Mailan Doquang, Blood Rubies