“When you least expect it, you run in to an old friend from school, or the neighbours cat, not Mary the Virgin Mother of God.”

“We sat still, our breathing loud and rhythmic, its music melancholy, a traditional song of sorrow.”

“Anything could happen in the company of a woman whose usual status is ‘apparition’.”

“Glasgow is a magnificent city, said McAlpin. Why do we hardly ever notice that? Because nobody imagines living herethink of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first tim...”

“Glasgow is a magnificent city,” said McAlpin. “Why do we hardly ever notice that?” “Because nobody imagines living here…think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the firs...”

“Anything could happen in the company of a woman whose usual status is ‘apparition’.”

“Sometimes two people have to fall apart, to realize how much they need to fall back together.”

“Good literature is one key to peace. When we stop reading each other, when we stop paying attention to each other's words and stories, we too easily oppose one another.”

“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the mystery novel and the novel, only between good books and bad books. A good book tak...”