The Possessions Quotes

“I'm overwhelmed by the thought of all the women who would pour out of me if I were cracked open: swarming like insects, bubbling up out of my mouth. The women who have collected inside me over the years, filling up my insides until there's no room left for me.”
― Sara Flannery Murphy, The Possessions

“The first time I meet Patrick Braddock, I'm wearing his wife's lipstick.”
― Sara Flannery Murphy, The Possessions

“I’ve always loved winter,” I say. “It’s the most private time of year,” he says. “Everyone stays indoors, focuses on their own pursuits. Maybe that’s why we like it.” He gestures between us. “Winter makes it easier to pass unnoticed as an introvert.” The way he says we, that easy bringing together, swells inside me. He’s recognized me, gathered me onto his side.”
― Sara Flannery Murphy, The Possessions

“If Patrick leaves, I don’t know what will happen to his wife. When it’s clear that he’s not coming back, she could stay inside me, metastasizing through my bones until nobody can tell us apart. Or she might leave. A parasite deserting a starving host. A stowaway swimming from a sinking ship.... I'm not sure which fate I prefer... To let Sylvia devour me or to be entirely alone again, abandoned inside my skin.”
― Sara Flannery Murphy, The Possessions