The Kremlin's Candidate Quotes

“I have consulted the Gregorian, Julian, and Coptic calendars and conclude there is not enough time before the next solstice for me to enumerate the ways you have been stupid,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“She hoped she would be lying on a sun-drenched veranda somewhere tropical, sipping rum while Nate painted her toenails Island Pink and, maybe, she dreamed, with a little girl at their feet chattering to her dolls in Russian and English. Would my children be synesthetes? What would Nate say after all these years of keeping the secret? Would we be happy together? Will it ever happen?”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Perhaps I will have a bakery someday named Dominika’s, she thought. Idiot you don’t know how to bake.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Gondorf, but I bet it’s hard to pronounce,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“You’re safe now,” he whispered to her.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Nate heard a chair scrape behind him and willed Dominika to stay still. How long could she last? How long would Domi stay in her seat? Come on, baby, hang tough.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Nate craned his head to see. The woman was Dominika, dressed in a dark suit and dark stockings, a prison-visitor’s badge was around her neck, and it swung as she walked, her heels clicking unevenly against the white floor tiles because of her slight limp. It was like a dream seeing her now, here, like this. Her hair was up as always, and their eyes met for an instant. It would have been the most natural thing for her to walk up to his chair, kiss him on the lips, order his bonds cut, and walk him out of this basement and through the front gates while holding his hand. She’d give him some khren, some grief, like “Dushka, you cannot manage even this without my help?”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“On his return lo Langley, there would be medals, a promotion, choice of assignments, but in reality his career would be over. He would be considered too burned coverwise and too burned out psychologically. By then, he daydreamed, Dominika might be finished at SVR and would be ready to retire and disappear into idyllic resettlement with Nate. It was a hell of a long way around to finally start a new life together, but it would be worth the wait.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“It is an axiom of our profession that this work is experiential; one is not born to it, one becomes more skillful with time.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“They all knew Nate was spoony over Dominika and dreamed of settling down with her behind a white-picket fence.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“DOMINIKA’S ARTICHOKE APPETIZER In a large bowl, toss marinated artichoke hearts, pitted Kalamata olives, capers, quartered tomatoes, and crushed garlic with white wine, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out and roast on a baking sheet until tomatoes are tender. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and top with torn basil leaves. Serve on toasted bruschetta.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“innumerable”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“seagull manager. “Swoops in, starts screaming, shits on everything, then flies away,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Slice medium tomatoes into crescents, cut cherry tomatoes in half, and slice sweet onion into crescents and place in a bowl; add toasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, dried shrimp powder, diced chilies, and chopped coriander. Deep-fry garlic and additional onions until crispy and add to bowl. Whisk lemongrass vinegar (or substitute rice wine vinegar), canola oil, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, and pour over salad. Mix gently with hands and garnish with reserved fried garlic and onions and a chiffonade of cilantro. Goes well with a rare steak.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Singing bowl,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Nightingales.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“GEORGIAN BEET SALAD Put boiled beets, pitted prunes, garlic, walnuts, and sour cream in a food processor and pulse to a grainy paste. Garnish with rough-chopped walnuts and cilantro. Serve with crusty bread.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“RIOJAN CAPARRONES STEW Fry sliced chorizo and chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add pimentón (hot Spanish smoked paprika) and red chili flakes and continue frying. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, water, vegetable stock, canned chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered. Add chopped parsley and white beans (cannellini or navy) and continue simmering until thickened, somewhere between the consistency of a soup and a”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“His active measures were creating lasting discord in the West, at minimal cost, and if he wanted to unseat an American politician, he had only to release an embarrassing, unencrypted email through WikiLeaks run by that languid dupe hiding in that exiguous Latin embassy in London. Partisan political hysteria now gripping American society would do the rest.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Beris druzhno, ne budet gruzno,” said Nate in Russian. If all of us take hold of it together, it won’t feel heavy. Piotr clapped Nate on the shoulder. “Now I will buy you a drink,” he said.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Gable often said Gondorf couldn’t pour water out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the sole.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“BLOKHIN’S KOREAN BARBECUED RIBS Rinse flanken-style ribs in cold water. In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, sesame oil, black pepper, and cayenne. Combine onion, garlic, pears, and ginger, and process to a smooth purée, then add to the soy mixture. Add toasted sesame seeds and a splash of water to thin. Pour marinade over ribs and toss to cover. Chill overnight, then bring to room temperature and discard marinade. Grill or broil until caramelized. Serve on lettuce leaves with ssamjang paste, pickled peppers, kimchi, cucumber salad, and steamed rice.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“bumps, dangles, peddlers, old whores, burn notices, drops, caches, headhunters, scalps, dry cleaning, rabbits, chicken feed, barium enemas, 201s, PRQs, natural reverses, flipping, fluffing, fluttering,”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“phone, the Chinese proverb meaning “Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be.” It was the signal”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Everyone indeed had lost, but Dominika was running the SVR, and she moved inside the Kremlin, and astride President Putin, ironically back to her hated Sparrow roots in a hopelessly febrile world without her Neyt.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Nate and Gable gone, Benford retired. She had never known any other CIA officers since her recruitment in Helsinki, they were her family, and their comforting presence mitigated the stark solitude of her life as a spy. Now she felt alone, even though she was at the pinnacle.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Nate’s uneven eyes locked on hers and there was a faint smile that passed over his lips and his halo grew brilliant and radiated, and she felt the minute caress of one shattered finger touching her hand, a light touch, brushing the top of her hand, just for an instant, unseen by the cameras, more intimate than a kiss.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Forgive me, dushka, ya lyublyu tebya vsem serdtsem, I love you with all my heart.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate

“Dominika wondered if she eventually would feel remorse, for she felt none now.”
― Jason Matthews, The Kremlin's Candidate