Why hyphenate, why parenthesize, unless absolutely necessary?

“As all historians know, the past is a great darkness, and filled with echoes. V…”

“The leader had a beard and was wearing a caftan that looked as if it had been s…”

“And still, what a risk he'd taken. The woman was like an amateur car bomb: you …”

“There are some women who seem to be born without fear, just as there are people…”