Again, Himmel Street was a trail of people, and again, Papa left his accordion. Rosa reminded him to take it, but he refused. ‘I didn’t take it last time,’ he explained, ‘and we lived.’ War clearly blurred the distinction between logic and superstition.
At the end of the day, it’s still up to you, and that’s the beauty of books. In so many ways, they never really end.
Are you looking at a dead man now?
You are the epitome of normal.
The suffering faces of depleted men and women reached across to them, pleading not so much for help-they were beyond that-but for an explanation. Just something to subdue this confusion.
We might be criminals, but we’re not totally immoral.
But now those thoughts weren’t thoughts at all, they were clouds of landed punches, and every one fell true.
I tried not to sleep because I was afraid of who might be there when I woke up.
That’s the beauty of books. In so many ways, they never really end.
When death has a story to tell, you listen.
How many times did she have to say goodbye?
No snapping, slapping, no jolt. Those things happen when you wake from a bad dream, not when you wake into one.
Tradition can be a dirty word, especially around Christmas. Families all over the globe get together and enjoy each other’s company for all of a few minutes. For an hour, they endure each other. After that, they just manage to stomach each other.
If you feel like it, come with me. I will tell you a story. I’ll show you something.
I actually feel quite self-indulgent at the moment, telling you all about me, me, me. My travels, what I saw in ’42. On the other hand, you’re a human – you should understand self-obsession.
Big things are often just small things that are noticed. – Ed Kennedy.
The impoverished always try to keep moving, as if relocating might help.
As for me, I remained a few moments longer. I waved. No one waved back.
People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it’s quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment.
From a distance, people observed. Such a thing was easier from far away.