Hillary Gardner

“The words you can’t find, you borrow.

We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone.

My life is in these books, he wants to tell her. Read these and know my heart.

We are not quite novels.

The analogy he is looking for is almost there.

We are not quite short stories. At this point, his life is seeming closest to that.

In the end, we are collected works.

He has read enough to know there are no collections where each story is perfect. Some hits. Some misses. If you’re lucky, a standout. And in the end, people only really remember the standouts anyway, and they don’t remember those for very long.

No, not very long.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

“Is a twist less satisfying if you know it’s coming? Is a twist that you can’t predict symptomatic of bad construction? These are things to consider when writing.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

“But the best parts of him were in his books. I suppose I could always read those if I missed him too much. I haven’t wanted to read one yet, though.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

“JACK
You're quite perfect, Miss Fairfax.
GWENDOLEN
Oh! I hope I am not that. It would leave no room for
developments, and I intend to develop in many directions.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest