Love May Fail by Matthew Quick
Originally Published: June 4, 2015
“I mean, politics aside, we all want to be desired— even lusted after– deep down, if we’re being honest.”
“Alfonzo doesn’t respond, but the alcohol coursing through my veins keeps me talking.”
“Why does a rotten tree branch come crashing down to earth one day? Everything has its breaking point– even women.“
“Do you know what happens when you do nothing? Nothing.”
“I’ve already worn her down with my flippant and obnoxious comments– I’m very good at wearing people down whenever I’m upset, although I’m not proud of this.”
“I look in the mirror and see a monster.”
“Some people you just can’t resurrect, no matter how much you love them.”
“That’s how they trick us into going through the pain of childbirth and all the rest. Just reproduce, and people throw you parties and buy you gifts and sympathize with you. You enjoy a sense of belonging and achievement simply because you had sex successfully. And who can resist that? I guess I can.“
“The young consume; the old are consumed.”
“Some part deep down inside me begins to worry that she will leave before I am ready to be alone.“
“As if getting to do one last thing can really make you feel less regretful about your existence coming to an end.“
“I don’t want to speak about things I know little about anymore.”
“It’s amazing how much power can be manifested through a simple act of kindness.”
“You can’t look back and pinpoint an exact moment when you give up on your dreams. It’s like someone stealing all of the salt from your kitchen, one tiny crystal at a time. You don’t realize it for months, and then when you see that you are low, you still think you have thousands of little crystals left– and then bam, no salt.“
“‘Bullshit,’ she says, and then gives me a smile so beautiful, I’m forced to look away.“
“My eyes look bad, guilty– like I know how fucked my behavior tonight was and believe I should be punished.”
“And I wonder how many lies it takes to make the world go around.”
“The world is a hard place and can be hardest on the hopeful.“
“And we’ve got to thank our saviors no matter how many times we feel attacked and broken, because we damn well need them.”
“Another thought hits me hard as a lawn dart to the eye: this moment is so terribly unimportant to the rest of the world, yet it means everything to me somehow– and it’s enough.”
Synopsis:
“Portia Kane is having a meltdown. After escaping her ritzy Florida life and her cheating pornographer husband, she finds herself transported back to South Jersey, where things remain largely unchanged from her unhappy childhood. In need of saving herself, she sets out to find and resurrect a beloved high school English teacher who has retired after a horrific scandal. Will a sassy nun, an ex-heroin addict, a metal-head little boy, and her hoarder mother help or hurt Portia’s chances in this bid for renewed hope in the human race? This is a story of the great highs and lows of existence: the heartache and daring choices it takes to become the person you know (deep down) you are meant to be.”
(via GoodReads)
Genre:
Fiction, Literature, Contemporary
My Rating:
★★★★★ 5/5
