How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph.Page)
Quote #10
From their vantage point, it looked impossibly small and fragile, the kind of settlement that would be swept away in seconds by a flash flood, buried utterly by any kind of minor avalanche. It seemed a ludicrous place to live for a day or two, let alone for centuries. (XXVII.74.263)
The trip to Yousef's ancestral village gives Alan a new perspective on the world. It's man vs. nature out there, and Alan's feeling very doomed. Even on a planet with billions of people, he can envision a time when nature wins and every fragile human thing is swept away. It's chilling, really.