The Book of Form and Emptiness

by Ruth Ozeki

Stories never start at the beginning, Benny. They differ from life in that regard. Life is lived from birth to death, from the beginning into an unknowable future. But stories are told in hindsight. Stories are life lived backward.

I’m used to being talked about, and I don’t mind, as long as it’s not a bunch of stupid doctors trying to figure out how to fix me.