[her] mind blackens. The blackness is not a thought, but if it could be pressed into a thought, if a chemical from a dropper could be dripped onto it… - Steve Martin

If you occasionally wonder how I know about some of the events I describe in this book, I don't. I have found that — just as in real life — imagination sometimes has to stand in for experience.

"The woman speaks, stops, then after what must have been a long speech by the person on the other end of the line, says, "... just remember, darling, it is pain that changes our lives." Mirabelle cannot fathom the meaning of this sentence, as she has been in pain her whole life, and yet it remains unchanged."

might try for a doctorate in philosophy and become a teacher, as teaching is, after all, a form of show business.