“ Child, all books are magic. Just think,' he said, 'about what books make people do. People go to war on the basis of what they read in books. They believe in "facts" just because they are written down… Scarlett Thomas
“ Some writers, notably Anton Chekov, argue that all characters must be admirable, because once we've looked at anyone deeply enough and understood their motivation we must identify with them rather tha… Scarlett Thomas
“ Sometimes I wake up with such an immense sense of disappointment that I can hardly breathe. Scarlett Thomas
“ The sky is grey, with a thin TV-static drizzle that hangs in the air like it's been freeze-framed. Scarlett Thomas
“ One minute I was playing chess and doing maths all the time, the next I had been rerouted into more 'normal' girls' activities: reading, writing stories and worrying about my clothes. Scarlett Thomas
“ Patrick opens his arms about three feet wide and, with one finger pointing up on each hand, tries to show the scope of this thing. I notice that he doesn’t look at his hands as he does this, but at th… Scarlett Thomas
“ Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my past, but wispy bits of ideas and books that hang in the air like silk puppets. Sometimes I think I see my own ideas, floating around too, but… Scarlett Thomas
“ There's something romantic about it, of course, in the way only other people's lives can be. Scarlett Thomas
“ I always got a bit pissed off with those broadsheet sceptics who make their living being passionately angry about homeopathy, God, synchronicity or whatever, because it's as if they can't get past the… Scarlett Thomas
“ Max always mumbles; not in a shy way, but rather as if he's telling you what it will cost to take out your worst enemy, or how much you'd have to pay to rig a horse race. Scarlett Thomas
“ Sometimes you have to trust grownups, perhaps more so when they are not there to actually supervise you. Scarlett Thomas
“ I sit up in bed slowly, feeling the disappointment trickle away like puddles after a rain shower. Scarlett Thomas
