Birnam Wood

by Eleanor Catton

the many kinds of people in the world whom he disliked. That this list, which included vegans, slow walkers, loudmouths, ostentatious breast-feeders, people of indeterminate gender, buskers, bad drivers, and the unwashed,

The political rout of 2016 had brought with it a new mood of deference towards the radically unforeseen.

reflecting with appreciation that Shelley was not one of those tedious women who counted carbohydrates and made a show of regulating what they ate and drank.

the dread of never being normal and never fitting in.

Batting away the reflexive despondency that always struck whenever she checked her inbox and found it empty

pre-emptive nostalgia

she had never quite mastered the skill of knowing in every individual circumstance whether to overplay or underplay her expertise.

You’re like one of those people at restaurants who order something off the menu and then reserve the right to change every little part of it. No tomatoes, can I swap out the bread, sauce on the side. It’s like, just eat it, you’re not fucking “allergic”, your life’s not in danger, you’re just picky. You’re just rude.

there’s going to come a time when we won’t even be able to believe that we spent so much time online and we didn’t know how terrible for us it was.’

signed off by saying that she missed him, which wasn’t strictly true, but was something that she knew he loved to hear.