Moon Tiger

by Penelope Lively

Chronology irritates me. There is no chronology inside my head. I am composed of a myriad Claudias who spin and mix and part like sparks of sunlight on water.

You cannot paint your fingernails pink until you are grown-up, which is never.

Giving presents is one of the most possessive things we do, did you realise that? It’s the way we keep a hold on other people. Plant ourselves in their lives.’

Regretting is always pointless, since there is no undoing.