'Somewhere deep down in the marrow of our bones. We’re very at home there, it was our native environment for hundreds and thousands of years. So even just to rest our eyes on it is to feel consoled and reunited. Like a blood transfusion, is how he puts it.'

'The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human love, which remains as grisly and golden as ever, no matter what is tattooed upon the warm tympanic page.'

'And at last, slowly, afraid he would find nothing, Douglas opened one eye.

And everything, absolutely everything, was there.'