And So It Begins Quotes

“I had closed my mind to everything but my plan. Like a storm out at sea, it was coming – and it would destroy whatever was in its path.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“the thing that makes pain so dreadful is the memory of it. The agony is over in moments, but the mind recalls the sensations and replays them over and over. I know a lot about pain.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“For days Cleo had been waiting, dreading the knock on the door, knowing it had to come sooner or later. It felt as if Evie was making her suffer by not letting her know when the axe was going to fall.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Presbyterian”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“But they can’t predict the vagaries of a jury, and there is a fine balance here between indisputable facts and conjecture.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“The average abuser, it seems, is devoid of much in the way of imagination.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“As I stare at the opposite wall I suddenly feel as if I’m not alone. It’s as if all the previous occupants are in here with me, screaming in rage, crying in terror, or sitting numbly, wondering about the chain of events that brought them here – just like I am. I see them pacing the floor, lying next to me on the bed, leaning their heads on folded arms against the wall in their despair. This cell will have seen the innocent as well as the guilty – the real criminals. But I suppose that’s how the police think of me now.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“You don’t want to admit that you’ve made such a bad choice of partner – that your judgement is so flawed,’ one woman had told her. Another said, ‘It’s because people don’t understand why you let it happen – they think it’s easy to walk away. They don’t get it that you’re made to feel it’s all your fault, that he had to hit you, and every ounce of your self-confidence crumbles to nothing. Then he’ll do something especially nice and you begin to kid yourself it’s all going to be okay.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“The fact that one in four women from all walks of life suffered abuse at some time in their life – and an increasing number of men – was a thought never far from Harriet’s mind.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“The sound of the sea pounding on the rocks below was both soothing and a reminder that some forces of nature couldn’t be contained.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“They couldn’t be more different. Maybe it’s the whole yin and yang thing, because they appear to have totally opposing values.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Why would anyone be interested in me?’ The amazement on Mark’s face hadn’t been faked. ‘I’ve hardly done anything worth blogging about, surely? What on earth could I talk about?’ I had to persuade him that he was wrong; that he was a beacon of hope for young artists in all fields. He was a young man with his own successful gallery, living what many of his contemporaries would consider the dream.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Cleo, I know, has expressed concern about my ability to shut out the world while my mind explores some other place, some other time. But she has no idea where I go to. I don’t think she would like it there.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“for a split second Cleo felt the urge to let go and allow life to take its course without feeling the compulsion to control it. She’d had her chance, though, and made her choice. But she wasn’t about to admit that”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Only the chosen few are permitted access to the real Cleo – and I’m not one of them.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“PART ONE THREE MONTHS EARLIER It began with small acts of cruelty. A foot outstretched, a cry of pain as a knee hit the ground. He developed a taste for it. The moments became more frequent, the acts more brutal. The pleasure, it seemed, greater with each callous deed.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“We have reached a point at which we manage to say all the right words to each other, but they are hollow – the fancy wrapping paper around an empty box.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“few people were on the beach, trying to fly kites without much luck, but most families were probably either hanging out in the amusement arcades or in one of the numerous cafés.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“the other displaying the kind of rubbish people buy on holiday that has no purpose once their fortnight in the sun is over:”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“trips away from home all the more difficult?”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“You see, the thing that makes pain so dreadful is the memory of it. The agony is over in moments, but the mind recalls the sensations and replays them over and over. I know a lot about pain.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“we think”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“I'm not sure if I'm famous or infamous - I suspect it depends who you ask and which side of the fence they are on.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Siobhan scoffed, and Cleo thought how strange it was that even the most attractive people turned ugly when they were hurting.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Look, people hurt eachother in relationships. They don't always respond the way their partner wants or expects them to. It shouldn't mean the end.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“You can't build true happiness on someone else's misery.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Revenge is seeing someone suffer for a lifetime in retribution for what they’ve put you through. If I had wanted revenge on Mark, he wouldn’t be dead.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“I don’t know if it was the first lash of the whip that hurt the most, or the last.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“Do you trust Cleo?’ Harriet asked. ‘With my child? Absolutely.’ Evie paused. ‘With anything else, not at all.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins

“we manage to say all the right words to each other, but they are hollow – the fancy wrapping paper around an empty box.”
― Rachel Abbott, And So It Begins