Status Updates From Lo que podemos saber

"‘I’ve never hated him. Never! But.’ You might try to guess at the truncated final sentence or gaze at the middle letter of ‘but’ as though it might swing open on its hinges to reveal a peephole through which you could see a disappointed heart, reduced by lost opportunities."

LOL: "But" working hard for this lady. Anyway, here we have an intriguing parallel: For one, Vivien of the disappointed heart, thwarted . . .

I read 5 pages.

"Early on, she had kept herself ‘sensible’ researching her second book . . ."

"Sensible" can mean:

1) "rational, reasonable," or,
2) "emotionally aware & responsive," or,
3) "conscious," or,
4) "perceptible as real or material: substantial"

It is meant, here, of course, in all 4 senses—& perhaps in more, e.g. 5) "practical".

Clever woman. And clever McEwan! Golly, I adore lexical and connotative precision! ✨

I read 10 pages.

I read 8 pages today.

I read 6 pages.