How we cite our quotes: (Page number)
Quote #4
That's the thing that gets to Joe even now. All the plans they'd made. All the saving. All the waiting around for the perfect time. And for what? For nothing...He takes one last look at the girl and the boy before closing the door. They're looking at each other like there's nowhere else they'd rather be. He and his Beth were like that once.
Maybe he will give up smoking after all. Maybe he'll make some new plans. (266-267)
Joe reconsiders his entire outlook on life after Natasha simply asks him to hand over his pack of cigarettes and says he shouldn’t smoke, which just goes to show readers that you never know how profoundly a simple action might affect somebody else’s life.
Quote #5
One of the case officers—Lester Barnes—stopped by her station. He told her that a girl left a message on his voicemail for her. The girl had said thank you. Irene never knew what she was being thanked for, but the thank you came just in time. Because at the end of the day, Irene had planned to commit suicide.
She'd written her suicide note at lunch. She'd mentally charted her route to the roof of her apartment building.
But for that thank-you.
The fact that someone saw her was the beginning. (341)
If Natasha hadn’t asked Lester to thank Irene and Irene had gone through with her suicidal plans, it wouldn’t have been Natasha’s fault. However, just recognizing Irene as a human being who deserved to be noticed was enough to change her life. Natasha seems to have this effect on people a lot.
Quote #6
His son will never settle down or marry or have children or forgive his father for his betrayal. His daughter will marry her first girlfriend, Marie. She will spend most of that first marriage anticipating and then causing its end...Jeremy and Hannah's children will grow up to love others in the simple and uncomplicated way of people who have always known where love comes from, and aren't afraid of its loss. (297)
This quote illustrates the consequences of Jeremy and Hannah’s affair. On one hand, his ex-wife and their kids are permanently scarred by his abandonment. On the other hand, his future kids—who wouldn’t even exist if he didn’t leave his ex—will have amazing, healthy lives. Blargh. Looking at life through a big-picture lens makes things so complicated.