The Windfall Quotes

“She was a daughter, a sister, and then a wife. But now her parents were dead—did that make her an orphan? Certainly not. Was there a specific age, she wondered, old enough, after which you were not considered an orphan if your parents died? Eighteen perhaps. And then her husband died—so she was a widow. But was there a certain age, young enough, that if you lost your husband you did not have to be called a widow? If a young childless woman lost her husband tragically when she was only twenty-five—or even thirty-seven, like Mrs. Ray had been—it felt unfair to burden her with the label of widow for the rest of her life. And Mrs. Ray certainly did not feel like a widow, even though she was reminded that she was one nearly every day in Mayur Palli.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall

“Mr. Jha was learning that in this neighborhood, your guard was a direct representation of how much was worth guarding in your home. Guards with guns meant bricks of gold somewhere in the house. Maybe he would also get a guard with a gun, Mr. Jha thought; it would be cheaper than buying bricks of gold.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall

“A good spouse is someone with whom you can successfully run a boring nonprofit organization. Don’t you think? Most things fade. But you need to find someone you can do the boring things with.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall

“How come Americans get called expats but if we move to America, we’re called immigrants?” Mrs. Jha asked.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall

“We have a six-CD changer in the car, Bindu. Rush hour is no longer a problem.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall

“It should be possible, Mr. Jha thought, to have a small portable air-conditioned Plexiglas cubicle built to walk around in.”
― Diksha Basu, The Windfall