Home > Work > Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1)
1 " I guess sometimes the perfection we perceive in others is made up of a whole bunch of tiny imperfections, because some days the damn dress just won't zip. "
― Julie Murphy , Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1)
2 " I've wasted a lot of time in my life. I've thought too much about what people will say or what they're gonna think. And sometimes it's over silly things like going to the grocery store or going to the post office. But there have been times when I really stopped myself from doing something special. All because I was scared someone might look at me and decide I wasn't good enough. But you don't have to bother with that nonsense. I wasted all that time so you don't have to. "
3 " I get what he means, because I think I've played pretend my whole life. I don't know when, but a really long time ago, I decided who I wanted to be. And I've been acting like her -- whoever she is -- since. But I think the act is fading, and I don't know if I like the person I am beneath it all. I wish there were some kind of magic words that could bridge the gap between the person I am and the one I wish I could be. Because the whole fake it till you make it thing? It's not working for me. "
4 " I don’t like to think of my hips as a nuisance, but more of an asset. I mean, if this were, like 1642, my whole birthing hips would be worth many cows or something. "
5 " Maybe ‘cause you don’t have to win a pageant to wear a crown. "
6 " Clover City is the kind of place you leave. It's love that either sucks you in or pushes you away. There are only a few who really make it out and stay out, while the rest of us drink, procreate, and go to church, and that seems enough to keep us afloat. "
7 " The word fat makes people uncomfortable. But when you see me, the first thing you notice is my body. And my body is fat. It’s like how I notice some girls have big boobs or shiny hair or knobby knees. Those things are okay to say. But the word fat, the one that best describes me, makes lips frown and cheeks lose their color. But that’s me. I’m fat. It’s not a cuss word. It’s not an insult. At least it’s not when I say it. So I always figure why not get it out of the way? "
8 " No matter how much I tell myself that the fat and the stretch marks don’t matter, they do. "
9 " I obviously don’t know the whole story here, but good friendships are durable. They’re meant to survive the gaps and the growing pains. "
10 " All my favorite things start as bad ideas', says Millie. "
11 " All the best things in my life have started with a Dolly Parton song. "
12 " If I could avert my eyes from all the kissing people ever, I’m positive that my life would be at least 2 percent more fulfilling. "
13 " Every time I blink, all I can see are my flaws. My body in a fun-house mirror. Hips too wide. Thighs too big. And a head too small for the rest of me. "
14 " No matter how much I tell myself that the fat and the stretch marks don't matter, they do. Even if Bo, for whatever reason, doesn't care, I do.Then there are days when I really give zero flying fucks, and I am totally satisfied with this body of mine. How can I be both of those people at once? "
15 " I wish there were some kind of magic words that could bridge the gap between the person I am and the one I wish I could be. Because the whole fake it till you make it thing? It's not working for me. "
16 " I want to be with you,” he says. “But I can’t if you won’t let me.”“Why?” I drop my bag in the driveway. “Why do you want to be with this?” I wave my arm up and down the length of my body. Immediately, I hate myself for this. The only person making this about my body is me.“Because I like you. I think I might feel a lot more than that for you, Willowdean. How is that so hard to believe? "
17 " Aha! I take my three keys on my ring (car, house, El's) and hold my hand in a fist so that each of the keys is peeking out from between my fingers. I remember seeing this on a self-denfense special of Maury. Television saves lives. "
18 " I hate that there's never anyting good on TV on Saturday afternoons. It's like even the networks are trying to get you off your ass and have a life. "
19 " Her boyfriend, Camdon or Brandon or whatever his name is, tosses Callie his wallet and says, 'Gotta take a leak.' They exchange a kiss--- which, I mean, why? Is he going to drown in the toilet? "
20 " So this is creepy,' I say, motioning to the school with my non-key-shiv hand. "