That was normal. That was regular and real.. It didn't look like a place [she] could get to from here.

“There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel's, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big…”

“...blind and naked as an unearthed mole, uncomprehending.”

“sex was where laurel knew she knew him, and talking was the way she called him …”

“I step straight toward the female librarian. She looks soft, as if she's been r…”