Hill of Secrets Quotes

“My word of advice: secrets are secrets for a reason.” “I want to believe that the truth is important. Honesty is always the best.” He got in and turned on the engine. Then opened the window. “Life is more complicated than that.” He shifted into first gear and drove away.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“Christine glanced out the window at the bruise-colored mountains in the distance.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“Uncle Sam is happy to take them from here to fight his wars. Says they’re fighting for freedom, for democracy. But does he let them vote here in the USA? Does he let me vote? No ma’am.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“She had knitted all four days on the train, as if she could insulate them from their changing lives by working the wool hard enough.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“They sat in silence, listening to the swamp grass at the edge of the swimming hole rustle like gossips passing secrets.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“Maria shrugged. “Never meant to raise them to fight white men’s wars.” “What do you mean?” “Uncle Sam is happy to take them from here to fight his wars. Says they’re fighting for freedom, for democracy. But does he let them vote here in the USA? Does he let me vote? No ma’am.” “What do you mean?” “Indian Nation. Doesn’t have the right to vote.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“And yet, it was illusory. There was nothing normal about thousands of people living in a place that was not supposed to exist, working on something they were not supposed to talk about, acting as if this fly-by-night community would endure when in fact they were waiting for the war and all this to end.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“He’d bought her a reproduction of Cézanne’s The House with the Cracked Walls. She was touched that he remembered the painting that had first brought them together and that he had taken what must have been considerable trouble to get his hands on this reproduction for her. Yet, the house in the painting, which she had once thought of as peaceful, now struck her as decrepit, the painting sadder than she remembered, or maybe it was just that she was sadder.”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets

“Loves what? A fish on a bracelet around her wrist? Who gives a bracelet with a fish to a Jewish child? I know my high school Greek as well as you do. Fish—ichthys—the acronym for Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter—Jesus Christ, God’s son, savior. Is she trying to convert our child?”
― Galina Vromen, Hill of Secrets