Unbury Carol Quotes

“Guilt cannot be overcome, only endured.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“The monster, Carol thought, looks different when nobody's watching.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“If you accept the falling as normal, it can become its own solid ground.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Can a man set right his past? With these questions came the possible futility of the ride and the hopelessness of absolution. The guilt was unbearable.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“I am Rot, James Moxie. I am the moment after you've decided to leave the one you love.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“There's a difference between bad and evil, John Bowie once told her, his voice slurred with brandy. Bad is when you ignore the one you love. But evil is when you know exactly what that person wants, what means most to them, and you figure out how to take it away.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“There's a difference between bad and evil. Bad is when you ignore the one you love. But evil is when you know exactly what that person wants, what means most to them, and you figure out how to take it away.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Knowing that sometimes the pride one takes in one's work is better for the job than any pace or progress can ever be.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Drunk or not, I saw the face of Guilt out there! And I saw the rage it takes to atone for it!”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“But legends had a way of making a man bigger than he really was.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Hell's heaven, Carol." Pacing. Pacing. Breathing hard. "He's on his way here! An outlaw! Hell's heaven, Carol. What can I do? What should I do?"

Even now Dwight was asking for her help.

Even in his plan to murder her, Carol had to do the dying first.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“The monster, Carol thought, looks different when nobody’s watching.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Passing the dark, low fields just south of Harrows, Smoke saw a scarecrow that reminded him, in shape, of his mother. Inspired by it, he imagined her burning. He imagined the dresses from her closet … the curls in her blond hair … the rims of her glasses … all of it and everything blistering, bending, burning.
The fire he imagined for her was blue and smelled like childhood. And childhood reminded him of the children he once knew; he imagined a girl named Merrily melted to the shape of a chair, another, Henry, sitting upon her in a classroom.
He'd like to burn them all. Every face he'd ever seen.
Excited now, Smoke saw the mothers of these former schoolmates rushing from their homes, desperate feet pattering on the porch boards, able to discern the smell of their own child burning above all others. Smoke would be there when they came. He'd be there with a piece of meat on a stick.
Dinner over childhood's fire.
Hey, Ma! This meat only gets better the longer it cooks!
Moved, Smoke imagined more.
Men in suits bursting into flame upon exiting church. Families sitting down to eat burnt food, blackened bread, ashen meals upon scalding-hot plates.
Come on, Billy! Eat your fire! EAT YOUR FIRE!”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Later, the man's wife wouldn't believe him. She's tell him he was drunk and leave him stewing in the kitchen. But ultimately he would know that it was true: that when he looked up at the man on the mare the man looked down at him and the man looked like he had no face, like the only features he had were Guilt and Rage and both were wrapped like gauze tied tight to his fiery skull.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol

“Death is never a nice thing. Even for those old enough to deserve it.”
― Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol