Vera Marsova

“Let me drum this into your eejit head. The good Lord gets us over people when we get the fuck away. Cut ties. Stop dilly-dallying into their lives like a semi-neglectful godparent. Foolishness.”
― Naoise Dolan, The Happy Couple

“People were puzzles, Neema thought. Not fun ones, with prizes. They were puzzles that made no sense, and gave no answer, and broke your heart for no reason.”
― Antonia Hodgson, The Raven Scholar

“They did not yet know what he did. That you could be gifted, hardworking, tenacious, even touched by a little bit of luck, and still not succeed, or if you did, not have it last. That
never to experience achievements commensurate to your talent, never to receive adequate payment for your efforts, was a terrible, demoralizing thing.”
― Coco Mellors, Cleopatra and Frankenstein

“As far as I know, Archie was your first serious relationship,’ Vivian continued. ‘And Archie thought you should put up with his nonsense, because that’s love. Love is letting people hurt you. Archie must have learned it from someone, too. We’re all taught it. But some of us get over it – and some of us terrorise the general population well into our twenties and beyond.”
― Naoise Dolan, The Happy Couple