“I asked my schoolmate Mary to write a letter to me. She was funny and full of life. She liked to run around her empty house without any clothes on, even once she was too old for that. Nothing embarrassed her. I admired that so much, because everything embarrassed me, and that hurt me. She loved to jump on her bed. She jumped on her bed for so many years that one afternoon, while I watched her jump, the seams burst. Feathers filled the small room. Our laughter kept the feathers in the air. I thought about birds. Could they fly if there wasn’t someone, somewhere, laughing?”
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
“That is what death is like. It doesn't matter what uniforms the soldiers are wearing. It doesn't matter how good the weapons are. I thought if everyone could see what I saw, we would never have war anymore.”
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
“I get it now; I didn't get it then. That life is about losing and about doing it as gracefully as possible...and enjoying everything in between.”
―
―
“Because sometimes people who seem good
end up being not as good as you might have hoped.”
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
end up being not as good as you might have hoped.”
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
“I wondered, for the first time in my life, if life was worth all the work it took to live. What exactly made it worth it?”
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
― Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Nicola’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Nicola’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Nicola hasn't connected with their friends on Goodreads, yet.
Polls voted on by Nicola
Lists liked by Nicola

