Away from the shadow of the living mountain, my fading memory remembers mostly her beauty and grace, and the remaining pride in my diasporic existence is that I once lived beside the living mountain. — ‘Daughters of the Living Mountain’

The one revelation that had the most impact in her developing choices and decisions was a disco- very that a class divide existed among the people around her and she, by a stroke of luck belonged to the blessed and the fortunate. — ‘Tales of the Sunken Town’

There are more mountains than books in the land where my grandfather was born. — ‘Born of Fire’

Away from the safety of his nest and from our protective wings, he has spread his own in a totally strange sky known for its absence of humanity. — ‘Twin Falls and a Mountain’

I wept a dry tear for the times that the hand that shielded me from little girl’s fright and hurt was not her hand; the lullaby that put me to restive sleep was not her voice and the stories I know were not read by her.I cried different shades of tears. My mother only cried one shade. — ‘Shades of Tears’

The nature of this country is its constant battle with nature. Eruptions. Your country was created by volcanoes, and it will be destroyed by volcanoes. Typhoons. This is the only country that is lashed by typhoons more than the number of letters in your alphabet a year. And the population grows at the speed of light. On top of it all is the unending war between the people. No wonder people like us are leaving. — ‘Blacklist’