"Billy, you're flaking on me" (Chapter 1, p. 3).

"What you guys did out there, that's the happiest possible result of the human condition. It gives us hope, we're allowed to feel hopeful about our lives. There's not a person on the planet who wouldn't pay to see that movie" (Chapter 1, p. 7).

"It's not like anything, except maybe being raped by angels" (Chapter 5, p. 61).

"There was no such thing as perfection in the world, only moments of such extreme transparency that you forgot yourself, a holy mercy if there ever was one" (Chapter 6, p. 103).

"This is what he truly envies of these people, the luxury of terror as a talking point, and at this moment he feels so sorry for himself that he could break right down and cry" (Chapter 7, p. 114).

"Billy, I'm gonna need you. You gotta help me keep the rest of these clowns alive. So don't be...