I’ve talked about how I love to read and I’ve talked about how I bought this book on a whim (because Safeway wasn’t carrying “Insurgent” at the time), but I didn’t tell you that I have never finished a book in one sitting before. Before I read this one, I mean. I finished John Green’s “The Fault In Our Stars” on my flight to Florida and, as expected, I embarrassed myself by crying right there in my aisle seat. There was one other dude in my row and he was the best kind of flight partner — the kind that doesn’t try to talk to you at all — but of course the one time he needed me to move so he could pee, my nose was dripping and my eyes were quite obviously filled to the brim with tears. But such is the way with fantastic books, if you ask me.
I’ve already handed it off to my mom and she’s already read half of it (and sufficiently waterlogged the pages because bath time is prime reading time in this family). I highly suggest you go get your own copy as well. Here are some of my favorite quotes I remembered to fold the pages down for as I went along.
“Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books like ‘An Imperial Affliction,’ which you can’t tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like betrayal.”
“..the spring air just on the cold side of perfect, the late-afternoon light heavenly in its hurtfulness.”
“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”
“Maybe some people need to believe in a proper and omnipotent God to pray, but I don’t.”
“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who I am, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it–or my observation of it–is temporary?”
“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
“It was kind of a beautiful day, finally real summer in Indianapolis, warm and humid–the kind of weather that reminds you after a long winter that while the world wasn’t built for humans, we were built for the world.”
Have you read this book? Did you love it? Are you as nervous about seeing the movie as I am? Let’s talk about it.
Awesome – I can get down with a book you can finish in a day! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I loved this book so much! I wanted to cuddle and sleep with it and become one with it, I loved it that much. I hope the movie doesn't terribly disappoint!
I AM SO GLAD YOU FINALLY READ THIS.
had i been there i would have held you while you bawled your eyes out.
I have this book sitting on my shelf waiting to be started by me! but I keep putting it off because I know I will cry.
I've been thinking about picking this book up for a while.. I really need to now!
this book made me feel feels and it was more than i could handle.
"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
When I read that line, I thought my heart was just going to burst. I just finished the book last week!