A Good Hard Look Quotes

“God is not here to be demanded of, begged from, or criticized. He hands out burdens to those who are strong enough to carry them, and I feel profoundly uncomfortable with the idea of lining up with the other invalids and asking for mine to be alleviated.”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look

“Hope may have a positive reputation, but it has a vicious downside. If you have hope, you can be crushed.”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look

“She had been so fiercely alive. She had spoken honestly, and lived with an honesty that few could claim to match. She had made the most of every minute she was given. She bargained and rationed and managed the seconds. She burned up the days.”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. —Flannery O’Connor”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look

“Melvin liked the idea that something he told Flannery might appear in a book. His life was a messy compilation of moments that didn’t fit together. If Flannery wove them into a narrative”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look

“From every nook, cranny, and hiding place on the grounds, the peacocks screamed. Bellowed. Wailed. The din was directed at Regina and Melvin. It was directed at the empty farmhouse. It was directed at the empty bedroom, the vacant desk, and the deserted bed. It was directed at the invisible veil between life and death. The peacocks were arrogant enough to think that their screams could raise Flannery from the earth. They thought they could turn back time. They thought they could get exactly what they wanted, if only they could make enough noise.”
― Ann Napolitano, A Good Hard Look