"You'd go on walks to get off campus. It was raining like hell, my sweater as sopped as a wet sheep. Tim pinned me to a tree, the woods light brown and dark brown, a white house half hidden with the lights already on. The water was as loud as a crowd hissing. He made certain comments about my forehead, about my cheeks." ("Lust," p. 4)

"I wake out of nightmares and Duer puts himself around me, holding my arms down, Ssshhh, he says as if he can hear the engine between my ears. Other times there are other sounds: wings flapping, as if a bird were trapped in my skull, or a distant throbbing, someone else's heart beating far off." ("Sparks," p. 32)

"He was beside her, kissing her gently. She felt as if she were somewhere else. 'Let's get this off,' he said breathlessly and pulled back...