Malevolence is born of negative feelings like loneliness and sadness and anger. It comes from an emptiness inside you that feels as if it’s been carved out with a knife, an emptiness you’re left with when something very important has been taken away from you.

Sometimes you can remember everything about an old friend, down to minor details about his behaviour, but for the life of you you can’t picture his face.

But why is it that if you imagine a baby who stinks to high heaven. But why is it that if you imagine a baby smells of milk, for example, you can’t help smiling? Why is there such agreement about the world what is or isn’t foul smell? Who decided what smells bad? Is it impossible that somewhere in this world there are people who, if they sat next to a homeless fellow, they’d urge to snuggle up to him, but if they sat next to a baby they’s get an urge to kill it?

Everybody wants to talk about themselves, and everybody wants to hear everybody else’s story, so we take turns playing reporter and celebrity.

Everybody wants to talk about themselves, and everybody wants to hear everybody else's story, so we take turns playing reporter and celebrity.

She stepped towards the door beneath the sign, then stopped and looked back at him. ‘You’ll be right here, right?’‘I promise.’‘And you’ll stay with me tonight, won’t you?’‘Of course. I won’t leave you.’I’ve got to snuff her as soon as possible and get this over with, Kawashima thought as he watched her enter the building.

Such behaviours weren’t the reasons parents abused children but the results of abuse.

Children would struggle desperately to feel love for their parents. Rather than hate a parent, in fact, they’d choose to hate themselves.

But why is it that if you imagine a baby who smells of milk, for example, you can't help smiling? Why is there such an agreement around the world about what is or isn't a foul smell? Who decided what smells bad? Is it impossible that somewhere in this world there are people who, if they sat next to a homeless fellow they'd get the urge to snuggle up to him, but if they sat next to a baby they'd get an urge to kill it?

I never liked to just absorb something somebody else created. I’m too self-conscious, and too critical, I guess, and it always felt like I was wasting time. But after you went away... well, it started to feel like time was wasting me. Every tick of the second hand was like a needle in my skin. Tick, tick, tick...