TinHouseBooks

“We ask, 'What do you want to keep from over there?' I want to keep turning toward the people I disagree with, learning to respect them through the exchange of ideas. I want to know when to kiss in silence, when to erupt in hearty dialogue.”
― Sonya Lea, Wondering Who You Are: A Memoir

“As I ached for this lost part of myself, my missing finger became a synecdoche for all lost things in my life—women and mothers, youth and full-scalp coverage, soberness, and the bliss of solid sleep. Most of all, I ached for the future as a shimmering, distant thing.”
― Julia Elliott, The New and Improved Romie Futch

“I e-mailed all my clients a twenty-percent-off coupon.
Diverted all thoughts of Helen.
Thwarted all invitations to binge drink with Lee and Chip.
Allowed myself only brief, utilitarian forays into the labyrinth of Internet porn.
Delighted in the shrinkage of my potbelly.
Took pleasure in the flexing of new muscle tone.
Snacked on baby carrots.
Learned to appreciate the slow crawl of the sun over my patio as I gingerly sipped a Miller Light”
― Julia Elliott, The New and Improved Romie Futch

“[...] I kept thinking we were trapped in hell.
Infernal, lung-curdling smoke? Check.
Eardrum-bursting, satanic thunder? Check.
Multitudes of shrieking imps? Check.
[...] I had the gut feeling I was trapped there eternally, back behind First Baptist's aluminum-sided temple.”
― Julia Elliott, The New and Improved Romie Futch