I think there is something wrong with the human race. It undermines everything one would like to believe in, don't you think? - Kate Atkinson

Courtney was astonishingly reckless. A kid without reck was a dangerous thing. Other children in the play park yelled and screamed and laughed but Courtney was merely determined to test everything, including herself, to the limits, like a dogged little crash-test dummy.

What if this present were the world's last night' she said. 'The word present makes all the difference, don't you think? It makes it seem as if one's somehow in the thick of it, which we are, rather than simply contemplating a theoretical concept.

Good news?’ Gloria queried. She wondered if Emily was pregnant again (was that good news?), so she was taken aback when Emily said, ‘I’ve found Jesus.’ ‘Oh,’ Gloria said. ‘Where was he?