In the Clearing Quotes

“It’s a terrible thing when a child is stripped of his perception that his parents are perfect. Kids want to believe their parents will always be there to take care of them. One of the hardest things about getting older is losing that naïveté that allows us all to believe in myths and fantasies, having it replaced by harsh reality. We don’t want to believe our parents aren’t perfect, some far from it.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Not a problem, friend.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“That was the problem with crowing too loudly. You gave away your position and made yourself vulnerable.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“The one consistent thing about psychopaths was their ego. They never imagined getting caught because they believed they were smarter than everyone.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Kimi Kanasket was a black mark on an otherwise joyous occasion, like the drunk uncle who causes a scene at a family wedding. You didn’t acknowledge or talk about the incident. You quietly escorted him from the building so others could focus on the celebration, and when the family got together to remember that day, the blemish was never discussed, until, as the years passed, the incident was forgotten completely.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Tracy smiled. “Do you remember the story?” “Kimi? It was my story.” “What do you remember?” “A tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.” “How well did you know her?” “Everyone knew Kimi. She was a track star. In the fall she ran cross-country, and in the spring she ran the high hurdles and the one hundred—back then it was still called the hundred-yard dash. She finished second in the state her junior year and was the odds-on favorite to win both races senior year.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“I thought you should know that after you left I had another visitor.” “A Stoneridge Police officer?”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“mid-1970s,”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“high rate of speed,”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“It was the type of generic statement Tracy had heard often as a police officer when someone had no specific or rational answer to one of her questions. Instead, they accused her of being a racist. “I’m Norwegian and Swiss,” she said. “And a little Irish. What did I rip off from you?”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“fighting a massive headache. Then he wiped away tears. “Nobody will know.” He looked at all of them, speaking quickly. “Nobody needs to know, okay? Nothing needs to change. Tomorrow we win a championship and we go on with our lives, just like we planned. We go on with our lives. Archie, you’ll go in the Army, and Darren and I will go to UW. And Hastey, you’ll go to community college and get your grades up, then you can come join us. We can’t help Kimi now. She’s dead. It was an accident, but she’s dead. If we say anything, then we might as well all be dead too, because then our lives will be over.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Orienting himself, Darren realized he and Archie had been thrown from the bed when it went over the top of the incline. They’d landed on the back side of the hill, about halfway up from the clearing. Below them, the Bronco, with its bar of bright lights, looked like an alien spaceship that had crashed. It had spun in a circle and was now facing up the hill, though pitched off-kilter at almost a forty-five-degree angle. Darren raised his hand to block the glare of the lights and started down the hill.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Eric yelled, “Shit!” and the next instant, Darren was weightless. His butt came up off the bed of the truck, and he lost his grip on the roll bar and on Archie. It all happened so fast, and yet it seemed so slow. He was airborne, he and Archie flying out of the bed, floating for a second before he slammed down hard against the ground. A shock wave of pain passed through him. He rolled multiple times, striking rocks in a seemingly endless cycle before finally skidding to a stop. He lay there, his body and mind processing what had just happened, trying to assess whether or not he was injured, and if so, how badly. Slowly, he struggled to his feet, sore, but as far as he could tell, not seriously injured. Archie was close by, moaning and mumbling in the dark. Darren walked over to him.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“They plowed down the narrow path. The Bronco started up an incline. Darren was struggling to keep himself and Archie from sliding to the back of the bed, the muscles of his arms straining as he fought to hang on. Tree branches whipped against the bed. He ducked his head. The incline steepened, the engine straining.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“activities start this week, don’t”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“spring and summer. Not this one. He continued a quarter mile through heavy scrub oak, pine, and aspen. At a bend to the left, a light shimmered in the tree branches. Buzz drove toward it, onto a gravel drive leading to a double-wide. Before he’d parked, a man pushed out the front door and descended three wooden stairs, crossing a dirt yard cluttered with unstacked firewood, scrap metal, and an empty clothesline. Buzz checked the name he’d jotted on his pocket notepad and got out. The air, smelling of pine, was heavy with the weight of impending snow. First of the season. His girls would be excited. The ground, starting”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“pitched off-kilter at almost a forty-five-degree angle.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“sighed.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those memories that would cripple us, so that we can live with ourselves.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“You’re fishing, Detective. Problem is you’ve got a line in the water, but you got no bait on your hook.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“She treated strange dogs the way she treated the ocean. She gave each a healthy dose of respect and never turned her back on either.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“People are forgiving, Mr. Coe, but they want accountability.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“an officer on traffic control. “Welcome to the party,” he said,”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“He continued a quarter mile through heavy scrub oak, pine, and aspen. At a bend to the left, a light shimmered in the tree branches. Buzz drove toward it, onto a gravel drive leading to a double-wide. Before he’d parked, a man pushed out the front door and descended three wooden stairs, crossing a dirt yard cluttered with unstacked firewood, scrap metal, and an empty clothesline.”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“glanced at the”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“Then a few started getting scholarships. Money talks, friend. The complainers got quieter than a nun in the confessional.” “He”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“He used to say that plants are like children.” “Really? How so?” “They come from a seed, sprout limbs, grow taller, stronger—but you have to nourish them.” “Do”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing

“consensus was that Wright didn’t see as much as the camera lens;”
― Robert Dugoni, In the Clearing