The Intruder Quotes

“Reborn here in this grubby old hospital, surrounded by the sick and the dying, people who deserve a second chance far more than he does. But it isn't the pink-and-white cooing kind of rebirth. It's more like being wrenched from a warm, dark, comfortable place and forced out into a bright, frightening world where nothing is certain.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder [Mass Market Paperback] by Peter Blauner

“John G. turns on him, hands on hips, hair caked with snow. 'Hey, buddy, let me tell you something. Drugs are the only thing I got. I am a drug addict. That's all I've ever been and that's all I'll ever be. Even if I'm not putting a needle in my arm or pipe in my mouth right this second, the thought is still in my mind.' He taps the side of his head. 'And if I decide I'm gonna get high to deal with the pressures in my life, there's not a fuckin' thing you can do about it.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder [Mass Market Paperback] by Peter Blauner

“Just when he thinks he's adjusting to anxiety as a constant condition, Jake feels several internal organs shrinking.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder [Mass Market Paperback] by Peter Blauner

“The best thing is never knowing what’s going to happen next. The worst thing is never knowing what’s going to happen next.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel

“He’s getting through life minute by minute these days—scrounging for reasons to keep going.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel

“How his father would beat him and embarrass him in neighborhood joints like Randazzo’s.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel

“Twenty years of marriage. It began for both of them as a refuge from an unhappy childhood. But over the years it evolved into something infinitely more intense and mundane. They’d survived major and minor resentments, periods of neglect, meaningless flirtations, and near breakups. They’d sustained themselves with small mercies, selective memories, and hard-won tolerance. And after two decades, they were both amazed to find there was no one else they’d rather sit next to on the bed, watching television and paying bills. It was love, but it was also more than love; it was a life.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel

“See? They only get idiots to do these jobs.” John G. stands there with his eyelids throbbing. Should he take a swing at the guy? After all, he’s got nothing left to lose. On the other hand, this job is the only thing between him and the abyss. Everything else that marked his place in the world is gone. He struggles to decide for a few seconds and then goes back to the motorman’s cabin.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel

“There’s relief in the ritual and routine. Seeing the same faces, making the same stops. He’s getting through life minute by minute these days—scrounging for reasons to keep going.”
― Peter Blauner, The Intruder: A Novel