The Christmas Guest Quotes

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“Chance of romance: nonexistent. Chance of gothic thriller murder mystery: growing by the minute.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“When you’re young, you think there are so many possible roads, but when you’re my age, you’ve been on the same road for a long time, and there’s no getting off of it.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” In my case the past really is a foreign country. And, yes, they do things very differently there.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“They only had us because it’s what you’re supposed to do to be a family,”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“At the time I treated it as proof of the weakness of her character, telling myself she was just a slutty American girl who would throw herself at any handsome English boy with an accent.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“Since I have no family of my own, I am yearly asked by friends and colleagues to their homes for the Christmas holidays. I always say no, pleading my case that I am perfectly content to be alone for a week. And mostly I am.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“It is not your job to fill any silence that lasts more than three seconds.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“I’m working on the oldest boxes now, including one that smells like mothballs and contains my grandmother’s purse and another that has a childhood doll I’m loath, for some reason, to throw out.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“Thank God for alcohol since I kind of hate flying. Except for the part where it takes you someplace entirely new. That part I love.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest

“I could see that a party was happening on the first floor, people milling about silently all dressed in black dresses and tuxedos, and that I wasn’t invited. I stood for a long time, scared to move in case someone saw me on the balcony, but then I realized that everyone could see me, everyone was looking up. Emma and her whole family. My Renaissance tutor from the Courtauld Institute. My high school guidance counselor Danny. My mother was there, also in a fancy gown. But I was looking for Adam and they were all looking right back at me, frozen, in their party clothes, drinks in their hands.”
― Peter Swanson, The Christmas Guest