emma

“Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out.”
― Zoulfa Katouh, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

“I stare at him for a few more minutes, my heart expanding with love for him.
We'll be OK,' I whisper, letting the night capture my wish. We're owed that at least. A life of not scanning rooftops, of not being relieved the ceiling didn't cave in on us during the night.
He and I are owed a love story that doesn't end in tragedy.”
― Zoulfa Katouh, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

“English did not just borrow words from other languages; it was stuffed to the brim with foreign influences, a Frankenstein vernacular. And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods.”
― R.F. Kuang, Babel

“Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much.”
― R.F. Kuang, Yellowface