Hannah

“What is given may be taken away, at any time. Cruelty and devastation wait for you around corners, inside coffers, behind doors: they can leap out at you at any time, like a thief or brigand. The trick is never to let down your guard. Never think you are safe. Never take for granted that your children's hearts beat, that they sup milk, that they draw breath, that they walk and speak and smile and argue and play. Never for a moment forget they may be gone, snatched from you, in the blink of an eye, borne away from you like thistledown.”
― Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet

“I can remember we were happy, I say. Happy to have our own house.
‘Can you recall anything specific, like a detail, or is it more a feeling you remember?’
Anybody can remember details if you ask them to, I say, but it doesn’t mean it actually happened that way.
I wait for him to make eye contact, which he does.
‘You have a point, Junior,’ he says.’ You’re right.”
― Iain Reid, Foe

“father jacques just smiled. “i can’t say it’s been a pleasure, colonel, but i did enjoy talking to you. i even hope that when you die and your ass is burning in the fires of hell, you won’t suffer too much. in fact, i’ll pray for your soul, my son.”
― Charles Belfoure, The Paris Architect

“i should have realized it immediately: annika is doing fine. there’s no one here to save.”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know