Olivia

“Grandma Sylvia hated for nice things to stay locked up in trunks, so we used to have fashion shows and put on Irish skits in Irish accents with whatever wasn’t in danger of turning to dust. It was like frolicking with the ancestors.”
― Essie J. Chambers, Swift River

“Your hometown makes you and breaks you and makes you again.”
― Essie J. Chambers, Swift River

“That real mother, the mother that you get, you've got to love her, there's no choice. She is the mother you needed. She gave you strength, either because she loved you well or because she loved you poorly. She gave you your mission.
It's the dream mother that you have to let go of. The one you pined for, the one you thought your decency promised you. She's the one you've got to bury.
She's a mirage. She'll only break your heart.”
― Amity Gaige, Heartwood

“patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
― Essie J. Chambers, Swift River