"songs are as sad as the listener"

just finished reading another jonathan safran foer novel. so beautifully sad and lovely. highly recommended. here's some of my favorite excerpts from it, although three sentences can hardly do justice.

"she wants to know if i love her, that's all anyone wants from anyone else, not love itself but the knowledge that love is there, like new batteries in the flashlight in the emergency kit in the hall closet"

"it's the tragedy of loving, you can't love anything more than something you miss"

"i felt suddenly shy. i was not used to shy. i was used to shame. shyness is when you turn your head away from something you want. shame is when you turn your head away from something you do not want."