Annotating a few unforgettable quotes

· “Love is like dark matter in space. It holds the universe together.” The Sun is Also a Star ~ Nicola Yoon.

Dark matter is the matter in space that exists but humans cannot account for.

Upon reading this line, I had to pause and read it again as t had be baffled on the first go. I couldn’t quite fit my head around it, but after reading it a few s, it all made sense and proved to be very true. Now I’m talking about love in general, and not just romantic love. Without the love of a mother to her child, I believe that that person would grow to be heartless in a world where all the compassion is needed. Without the love from a sibling, the need to protect a loved one would disappear in a world that is filled with betrayal. Without the love from a friend, there would be no need to laugh in silly moments in a world filled with heartbreak and despair. So, it made me come to the conclusion that love is in fact what is holding this universe together.

· “Death compared to a mine” The Dust of Promises ~ Ahlem Mosteghanemi

Similar to death, is a mine that goes off beside you rather than beneath you. Entrapping someone else but shocking and joking around with you simultaneously.

This really had me in a state of shock because of how true it was. The fact that death is definite, but the time isn’t being quite scary, and the deaths of other around you are like a warning, that soon it may be your turn as well. I loved the comparison to a mine, because it just makes the entire thing so much more real. We are sometimes so busy in our daily lives, and think that tomorrow is promised, when in actual fact, nothing truly is.

· “Do we need to die in order to love, and to know that there were those who loved us?” Chaos of The Senses ~ Ahlem Mosteghanemi

People only realize what they’ve lost when its gone – unfortunately, that’s just how we are.

Even though I wasn’t a very big fan of this authors style of writing, her way with words always left be in awe. This line fits so perfectly with the storyline of the book, as many losses were accounted and were only realized after nothing could be done.

I remembered this quote towards the end of the book ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini’. I realized that even though there was a reconciliation before death, it was still futile as nothing could be done to change what had happened, it may be due to stubbornness, or maybe pride? These are very pronounced traits in society today, that we’d rather lose the time with a loved one, over pride and ego.

· “…sometimes it’s not about trying to fix something that’s broken. Sometimes it’s about starting again and building something new. Something better.” Bad Romeo ~ Leisa Rayven.

I honestly don’t think that this one needs any commenting, it speaks for itself. However, it brought be back to earlier in the book, where the word “Kintsugi” was mentioned. This is a Japanese word, and is the art of fixing a broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold, silver or platinum. It is such a beautiful process, but it made me realize that even after the broken piece was fixed, and would be more valued now, the scars of the shattered pieces would always be there. And so, bringing us back to thus quote, maybe sometimes it’s just better to start anew, and not try and repair old wounds.

· “Hope is not a topic, It’s not a theory. It’s a talent.” The Blue Between Sky and Water ~ Susan Abulhawa.

I just thought that this was something to ponder on. That one can only truly and wholeheartedly hope for something if they believe that it will come. Sometimes it may be difficult to hold onto that sliver of hope, especially in difficult times, but that shard of hope could be the little motivation and perseverance that one needs to achieve their goal. And it fits so perfectly in the context of this book, that even though the people of Beit Daras (Palestine) lost everything, they still had hope for a better future; and maybe it just proved that hope can bring a change.