A Ladder to the Sky

by John Boyne

“Love,” I said. “Love is always the subject.”

“All I want is to live in peace,” I told him. “I want to read books and perhaps one day write some of my own. The future of the Fatherland is not something that concerns me.”

I’ve been married, I know what the experience is like, and while there were certainly times when it was pleasurable there were just as many times when I wished that I was alone, not answerable to anyone, not needing to account for my every movement throughout the day.

“Whenever a friend succeeds,” said Theo, “a little something in me dies.