The Family Jewels Quotes

“What was life without risk? So many people lived it like they thought that if they were careful enough, they could get out of it alive.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels

“Everything about the place was designed to convey the message that the owner had a few quid and valued their privacy, so please bugger off.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels

“Bunny started counting to three in his head. Feint forward. Spin around. Key to the face. Turn back. From there, there was no point having a plan. It was all jazz.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels

“You don’t slow down to check if the volcano has changed its mind.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels

“Marcel had heard people describe empty galleries as being eerie, spooky, somehow lesser for the absence of people. Personally, he found that to be utter drivel. While he knew better than to say it out loud, galleries looked so much better to him without people wandering around, cluttering up the place, gawping at things. He knew the official message was that art must be brought to the public and the public must learn to appreciate art, et cetera, et cetera. He toed the party line but, deep down, all that was nonsense to him. Art existed because he saw it and it was good because he said it was. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but why must we pretend all opinions are equal? He had worked so very hard, fought tooth and nail, to get where he was today – a curator at the Louvre. That meant he knew better. Knowing better was almost in his job title.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels

“the worst thing was the look in his eyes. Bunny had seen it before, but it didn’t get any easier; that expression of residual fear left after an ordinary, decent person has come into contact with the dark violence that festers just under the skin of the world. Once they’ve been touched by it, they’re never quite the same again.”
― Caimh McDonnell, The Family Jewels