40 Quotes by Daniel Abbott

Joy imagines a fetus in handcuffs. Policemen on either side of it, leading it to its death, strapping it into a toaster-sized chair. Skin smoking. It stares at her with betrayed gray eyes. Guilty of nothing but being shot out of Cesar Bolden’s dumb dick. Being the fastest, strongest swimmer. Breaking through the egg and creating itself.

All she needs in this life is a chance at a better life, and to get that she works, she sacrifices, she tells her morals to shut their damn mouth, or turn the other way when shame starts poking its nose around.

It’s the spotlight that bothers him. Isaac left the concrete for the darkness. Where he could look into his life and learn. And Miles is promising to put a spotlight on that darkness. And bring back the gaze of the world that chased him there.

As a teenager I felt misunderstood. I felt confused. Somewhere in that confusion was me. The me I was destined to become.

Your history doesn’t define you; it creates you.

He starts to tell Isaac about his sobriety, but something stops him. Like if he speaks the words aloud he’ll jinx it. Like he’ll piss his demons off and they’ll come lurking about, reenergized, and give him another beating.

He wanted to enslave himself in something so he could set himself free.

Isaac Page was born in this shit. Joey Cane had tossed himself off of a building and landed in it.

When I think of my father’s eyes I’m reminded of blood. I’m reminded of hate. I’m reminded of death. How in a moment, the time it takes for an old wooden chair to soar across the room, the time it takes for a bullet to leave a gun, it can all be over. But the memory, the sound of a gunshot, or those Cheshire eyes of my father, glowing on their way out the door, those memories will echo in my mind forever.