Via

“She had to quickly pop back to the fifteenth century to find a word for how beautiful he was. The boy was makeless.”
― Helen Oyeyemi, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

“cities are fueled by the listless agony of workers providing services to other workers who barely acknowledge those services.”
― Helen Oyeyemi, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

“She’d call Montse to come and judge how well the picture was progressing. "Look here," she’d say, indicating a faint shape in the corner of the frame. "Look here –" Her fingertips glided over a darkening of colour in the distance. She sketched with an effort that strained every limb. Montse saw that the Señora sometimes grew short of breath though she’d hardly stirred. A consequence of snatching images out of the air – the air took something back.”
― Helen Oyeyemi, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

“But then you’re put back together again, in a wholly different order . . .” “And it hurts so much you don’t know if the new order will work.” “It’ll heal. It has to hurt before it heals, don’t you think?” He”
― Helen Oyeyemi, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours