Home > Work > In a Dark, Dark Wood
41 " Look, it's her faith, all right? There's no need to be offensive.""I'm not being offensive. You cannot, by definition, offend someone who's not here. Offense has to be taken, not just given. "
― Ruth Ware , In a Dark, Dark Wood
42 " People don’t change,” Nina said bitterly. “They just get more punctilious about hiding their true selves.” I "
43 " It’s always strange meeting another writer. A little feeling of camaraderie. A masonic bond. I wonder if plumbers feel like this when meeting other plumbers, or if accountants give each other secret nods. Maybe it’s because we meet comparatively rarely—writers tend to spend the bulk of their working life alone. "
44 " The whole thing had been painful to the point of nausea, made worse by covert sympathetic looks from Nina. If there's one thing I dislike more than being hurt, it's being seen to be hurt. I've always preferred to creep away and lick my wounds in private. "
45 " I knew him so that if I touched his face in the dark, I would know it was him. I "
46 " In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house; And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room; And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard; And in the dark, dark cupboard there was … a skeleton. Traditional "
47 " There is no grey when you’re young. There’s only goodies and baddies, right and wrong. The rules are very clear – a playground morality of ethical lines drawn out like a netball pitch, with clear fouls and penalties. "
48 " I wanted to leave so badly it hurt – to be back at home, in my own bed, with my own things, in the blissful peace and quiet. "
49 " my grandmother was a walker. She said that when she was a girl and in a rage with a friend, she used to write her friend’s name on the soles of her feet in chalk, and walk until the name was gone. She said by the time the chalk had worn away, her resentment would have faded, too. "
50 " Driving is like karaoke – your own is epic, other people’s is just embarrassing or alarming. "
51 " Poor Flo,” I said. “Did she pull the trigger?” Nina asked. “I— I assume so. I don’t know. She was holding it.” “I thought you were.” “Me? "
52 " It's like opening up the back of the machine to see the crude workings grinding away inside. There's a disappointment in the banality of what makes people tick, but at the same time, there's a kind of fascination at seeing the inner coils and cogs. The trouble is that the next day they almost invariably resent you for having seen them naked and unguarded. So I'm deliberately reserved and noncommittal, trying not to lead them on. "
53 " It’s not that Nina doesn’t feel stuff. She just deals with it differently than most people. Sarcasm is her defense against life. “Let’s "
54 " I am running. I am running through moonlit woods, with branches ripping at my clothes and my feet catching in the snow-bowed bracken. "
55 " There was something strangely naked about it...and after a second I realized why. It wasn't just the lack of clutter and the minimalist décor...but the fact that there wasn't a single book in the whole place. It didn't even feel like a holiday cottage - every place I've ever stayed in has had a shelf of curling Dan Browns and Agatha Christies. It felt more like a show home. "
56 " and would never fade, was already going, bleeding out over the floor along with James’s life. It has defined me for so long, my bitterness about what happened. And now it’s gone—the bitterness is gone, but so is James, the only other person who knew. There is a lightness about that knowledge, but also a terrible weight. "
57 " Because what I realized, as I held his hand and he bled all over the floor, was that my anger, which I had thought was black and insuperable "
58 " I hate being driven—driving is like karaoke—your own is epic, other people’s is just embarrassing or alarming.” “Well "
59 " Remember, I’m a doctor. I know at least 3 ways to kill you without leaving a trace. Nx "
60 " But it must be nice working with other people.” I ventured. “Sharing the responsibility, I mean. A play’s a big thing, right?” “Yes, I suppose so. You have to share the glory, but at least when the shit hits the fan, it’s a collective splattering, I guess.” I "