“To me, a book is a book. A novel is a novel, and you have hundreds of ...” — Per Petterson Quote

“To me, a book is a book. A novel is a novel, and you have hundreds of possibilities, options, and they may all be fine. Charles Dickens or Ingeborg Bachmann, Claude Simon or later writers. The one and only condition is that it has to be good: it has to have quality, substance, atmosphere.”

“I hate plots.”

“In a household tragedy, you are very much aware of being alone. It is something that is possible to grasp, and that is why it hurts so much. Because you are alone. I know a little about this.”

“I was born technically in D.C., and then my family moved to the Columbia area when I was in elementary school. It was right on the line between Clarksville and Columbia in Howard County. I remember it being just like a peaceful, safe atmosphere. I always felt connected to the woods and that whole suburban feel.”

“There is just something about the playoffs and the atmosphere, and feeling like it's you against the world, that gets you going.”

“If they come after me and my bowling you get a bit down. But when I am fielding I think about it and there are worse things that can happen. I take in the atmosphere a bit and think this is not too bad.”