The Terracotta Bride Quotes

“Goodbye," said Siew Tsin.
"See you next time," said Lady Meng, more accurately.
"Will you remember me when I come again?"
"Of course," said Lady Meng. "I miss you every time.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“Hell was hot and full of unkind people in a hurry; there was far too much red tape; and the bureaucrats were all shockingly corrupt.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“Resignation to unhappiness didn't come naturally—she had to learn it.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“It was not a world Siew Tsin would have chosen to live in. But she did not want to be reborn, either, anymore than Junsheng did, anymore than all the other spirits showering gold and favours on hell officials so that they could stay where they were. Rebirth entailed a true death, the severing of one's memory and the loss of one's self.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“This time, let us hope you will get to be old," she said. "It is a great suffering to know youth only.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“Rebirth entailed a true death, the severing of one's memory and the loss of one's self.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“She had still had the loved child's belief that it would not be allowed for anything too bad to happen to her.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“Siew Tsin had not given much thought to what happened in the afterlife until the afterlife happened to her.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“The spirit and its chosen one bind their ankles together with red thread. They may take each other's hands and smile at each other. When they walk down the bridge into the world of the living, they know it won't be the last time they see one another. The red thread is better than a promise —it's a guarantee. It means they'll meet again in the next life. It means they'll love each other there, too.”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride

“I left because I knew we would be the end of each other if I stayed," she [Ling'en] said. "We were always too busy trying to save the other from becoming what we did not like. (...)”
― Zen Cho, The Terracotta Bride