Bob slid his chair back and moved the coal-oil lamp from…

“but nothing upset and preoccupied him like the phrase whatever they dread most, that will happen. It seemed more than a simple curse; there…

— Ron Hansen

“He also had a condition that was referred to as granulated eyelids and it caused him to blink more than usual, as if he…

— Ron Hansen

“Then the night lessened, the clouds ashened slightly, and the men became starkly black and brown against the gray of the snow.”

— Ron Hansen

“A human judge who viewed his soul would have condemned him, he thought; exacted some penalty; spurned him. But he felt in the presence…

— Ron Hansen

“Inside, cooking smells maneuvered through the house: cow liver, sweet potatoes, stewed onions, cabbage - scents that were as assertive as colors.”

— Ron Hansen

“Then I knelt heedfully upright and mentally prayed as we'd been instructed to do, some scared and scientific part of me assaying myself for…

— Ron Hansen

“Bob was not yet twenty, after all, while Jesse was thirty-four and in physical decline; each calendar week subtracted from Jesse the powers that…

— Ron Hansen

“He was increasingly irritable and suspicious, and a cantankerous mood could fly over him as quickly as the shadow of a bird. But Jesse…

— Ron Hansen

“A man of principles," Jesse said. "People say that about themselves when really they only want to make you unhappy.”

— Ron Hansen

“Charley looked over at him. "About how much you and Jesse have in common." Jesse said, "Why don't you tell it, Bob; if you…

— Ron Hansen

“They weren't penitent over what they'd attempted; their sorrow reached to the limits of their bodies and no further, all their anguish was in…

— Ron Hansen

“Craig inscribed something in the journal and Bob walked over to study the entry. "Does the name Bob Ford mean anything to you? Craig…

— Ron Hansen

“Do you know what it is you're most afraid of?" "Yes." "What?" "I'm afraid of being forgotten," Bob said, and having admitted that, wondered…

— Ron Hansen

“Jesse said, "You know what we are, Tim? We're nighthawks. We're the ones who go out at night and guard everything so people can…

— Ron Hansen

“So it went. Bob was increasingly cynical, leery, uneasy; Jesse was increasingly cavalier, merry, moody, fey, unpredictable. If his gross anatomy suggested a strong…

— Ron Hansen