So Long, See You Tomorrow

by William Maxwell

So that for the father to remarry is an act of betrayal not only of the dead mother but of them, no matter what the stepmother is like.

The stepmother is on a hiding to nothing then

In any case, in talking about the past we lie with every breath we draw. Before the stairway was in, there

There was never any real doubt about who had killed Lloyd Wilson. The only person who had any reason to do it was Clarence Smith, Cletus’s father. Among the things that Cletus failed to tell

The other boy was moody and guilt-ridden and desired nothing from other people but their absence.

I love the way that is worded

In the daytime the sky is an inverted bowl over the prairie. On a clear night it is sometimes powdered with stars.

Wonderful prose

Once when they were having an argument she screamed and Victor picked up a bucket of water and threw it over him. The shock brought him to his senses. He looked down and saw he had the poker in his hand.

New York City is a place where one can weep on the sidewalk in perfect privacy.

Only having been there once, but like Sydney - how true is that? Amongst a crowd but toally alone, real privacy.