"No difference between cutting open a beast and cutting open a murderer, it's all just meat. Not her, though. She's as glossy and hollow as a vase. If I broke open her breast I'd find nothing inside it at all, just an empty space. Or maybe a little dust."

"Heroes are men who kill thousands of strangers - war is glorious - but killing people one by one - people you know, people you're close to - that's a bit more complicated."

"Turn your mobile phone off. Forget the day you just had. We're in another time and place now. You're waiting for a story. You're not going to get one. The closer you look the more things get sticky / disintegrate / fragment / return / tangle / repeat…"

"When Daddy was at war- war-war My Mummy was a whore-or-or The men she'd stroke and paw-paw-paw She always wanted more-more-more When Daddy was away-ay-ay My Uncle came to play-ay-ay In Mummy's bed he lay-ay-ay All night and every day-ay-ay"

"You were away for so long and now you're back and it's all going to be okay. Do you remember Daddy teaching you how to fight? Do you remember? Do you? I remember, I remember you putting your little fists up and your face was so fierce and he got in under your guard and gave you a great big punch to the solar plexus, you were rolling around on the floor trying not to howl. Do you remember that?"

"No, not fear – I'm used to fear, it's like background music – worse than that. A feeling that the earth is dissolving into water and hell has opened up on the seabed and I'm hurtling downwards into its depths but I know I'll never reach the bottom, never land on solid ground again, just go on falling for ever and ever."

"I'm alone now and the flies are feasting on me and my bones are beginning to crumble and my voice is not making a sound. Am I alone? Where have they gone? Where's the baby? I brought some toys."

"The thing that terrifies me is the idea that something can grow inside you (closer than anything else in the world) part of you / then split and become a human being and become a stranger but still a part of you so close you can feel their fists in your belly you can hear their heartbeat echoing yours / so far away you don't recognise them any more / so far away there are centuries between you / so far away they could be dead and you wouldn't feel a thing / …"