The Last Anniversary

Love is a decision?’ ‘That’s right. A decision. Not a feeling. That’s what you young people don’t realise. That’s why you’re always off divorcing each other.

Sometimes a girl has to stop waiting around and come up with her own fairytale ending.

A marriage is hard work and sometimes it’s a bit of a bore. It’s like housework. It’s never finished. You’ve just got to grit your teeth and keep working away at it, day after day.

Every day is a gift, Jake. Of course sometimes it’s a really horrible gift that you don’t want.

But Grace quite likes the fact that you can think something is one way all your life, and it turns out you’re wrong, it can be something else entirely. It makes her feel free. Nothing is rigid. Things change. You can change your mind. You can change your thinking.

a man who despises himself so much that the only way he can alleviate his feelings of inferiority is by stomping down his wife’s personality with a daily stream of nasty jibes.

I’ll tell you something, something important. Write this down. You ready?’ ‘Yes, yes, I’m ready.’ ‘Love is a decision.’ ‘Love is a decision?’ ‘That’s right. A decision. Not a feeling. That’s what you young people don’t realise.

The problem is that Sophie would't want to date the sort of man who would want to date her.

But then she just got tired of hating him and started loving him again. It was easier.

If her back had ever hurt like this when she was twenty she would have been hysterical, demanding painkillers and cups of tea in bed, but she has found that nobody is especially surprised to hear you’re in pain when you’re in your eighties. You might find it astonishing, but nobody else does.

A woman would be more intelligent, obviously.

Jab, jab, truce! This, it seems, is marriage–

Building your dream home is a fast-track to divorce,

Thirty-nine-year-old moderately successful Human Resources Director. Interests include regency romances, reality TV, and baking large novelty birthday cakes for other people’s children. Hobbies include drinking Tia Maria and eating Turkish delight in the bath and dining out with her mum and dad. Wanted to be a ballerina but didn’t end up with a ballerina body; however, has been told she is an impressive dirty dancer when drunk. Knows her wine, so please just hand the wine list over. Godmother to nine children, member of two book clubs, Social Club Manager for the Australian Payroll Officers’ Association. Suffers from a severe blushing problem but is not shy and will probably end up better friends with your friends than you, which you’ll find highly irritating after we break up. Has recently become so worried about meeting the love of her life and having children before she reaches menopause that she has cried piteously in the middle of the night. But otherwise is generally quite cheerful and has on at least three separate occasions that she knows of been described as ‘Charming’. Yep, that about summed it up. What a catch.

You can still bake a perfectly good cake while losing your mind.

Their friends had got so old that whenever Connie bought a get-well card she also bought a sympathy card at the same time, to save herself the trouble of going back to the newsagent when they didn’t ‘get well’.

Veronika had accused her father of being a misogynist and Thomas had told Veronika to stop acting like a pseudo lesbian intellectual.

Looking after the baby is like taking some sort of terrifying, never-ending practical exam. All she does is respond to what the baby is doing. Feed baby. Change baby. Wash baby. Keep baby alive. Prepare for when baby wakes again.

You mustn’t take any notice of her,’ says Enigma. ‘I often sing a little song in my head until she’s finished talking.

Nothing is rigid. Things change. You can change your mind. You can change your thinking.

All of a sudden she thought she had all the time in the world. Pride comes before someone trips you flat on your face.

A woman wants to be adored but she doesn’t want reverence.

She was the missing ingredient they needed. The hint of nutmeg. Connie

I remember Connie and me standing there at the hospital, looking at each other, not touching, not crying, just completely and utterly shocked. Our mother was too busy to die.

I was just average, I’m afraid. Too dreamy. After school,

Of course they danced together; how could Callum resist dancing with a real live woman instead of a cardboard cut-out?

Aunt Connie killing the Munros is manifestly wrong. It was Alice.