"Strolling the deserted streets of Madrid at that hour of indecision—when everything is on the verge of happening but nothing yet has—redeemed the city, concealing its misery, creating a false sense of benevolence."
"When Alice closes the door on their bedroom that night, Michel goes to his study, throws his book on his desk, gathers up his papers, and paces up and down."
"The jeweler’s is part of the maze of pedestrianized streets, so I leave the bike in the usual car park and start the short walk there."
"Darkness had fallen outside. Einar and Erla were sitting at the supper table with their guest."
"It’s the sort of day that you dream of: a blue sky, a hot fist of sun and the sound of bees in clover, yet the air vibrates with unnatural tension."
"From my bedroom window, I had a view of the woods behind our house, a Catskill forest speckled with tall red black spruce, thick balsam fir, and slender mountain ash."
