He was numb: heart-numb, mind-numb, soul-numb. And the numbness, he realized, went a long way down, and a long way back.

“Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it’s a gateway drug to reading. The drive to kno…”

“For a moment she felt utterly dislocated. She did not know where she was; she w…”

“So, having found a lady, could you not have come to her aid, or left her alone?…”

“For me, I would rather read a good book, from a contented author. I don't reall…”