"I know it was a Wednesday, because the date is blue in my mind and Wednesdays are always blue, like the number 9 or the sound of loud voices arguing." Chapter 1, p. 1

"Numbers are my first language, one I often think and feel in." Chapter 1, p. 7

"My parents did not want to label me, to feel that they were holding me back in any way." Chapter 2, p. 19

"My mother made bargain hunting in the local charity and secondhand shops and markets into an art, while my father proved himself very handy around the house." Chapter 4, p. 57

"I was never comfortable at school and rarely felt happy, except when left alone to do my own thing." Chapter 4, p. 67

"From the age of eleven I knew that I was attracted to other boys, although it would be several years before I considered myself "gay." Chapter 6, p. 109

"The cacophony of different noises...