---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As her husband held her close, she could…"
description: "\"“As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of other choices, other lives, opening up beneath her. Her past crackled behind her like a ter..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg"
---

#  As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of…

![“As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of other choices, other lives, opening up beneath her. Her past crackled behind her like a terrible lightning, branches and branches, endless, and then nothing.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg)

> ““As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of other choices, other lives, opening up beneath her. Her past crackled behind her like a terrible lightning, branches and branches, endless, and then nothing.””

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character feels the weight of past decisions and the potential of alternate lives, creating a vivid, overwhelming sense of possibility.

**In simple terms:** Past choices feel heavy, future possibilities endless.

Key Takeaway

Consider how past choices shape present feelings.

Themes

choice possibility memory

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- decision making
- creative writing
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

existential reflection alternatives psychological tension

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “the pulse of other choices” mean to you?
- How do you cope with feeling overwhelmed by possibilities?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may be too abstract for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/)

## Related quotes

> [“I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just held him, feeling him turn toward my embrace. I held him close, letting him grip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/i-wasn-t-sure-what-to-say-so-i-just-held-him-feeling-him-turn-toward/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [“I don't want to be weak," she said. "I'm so scared of being weak." He held her close. "Everyone is weak sometimes. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-reese/i-don-t-want-to-be-weak-she-said-i-m-so-scared-of-being-weak-he-held/)

[jenn reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-reese/)

> [He held her close enough to kiss, close enough to whisper the most important secrets in the world, and he spoke to her as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-held-her-close-enough-to-kiss-close-enough-to-whisper-the-most/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [If I held you too close its because I wanted to keep you longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-held-you-too-close-its-because-i-wanted-to-keep-you-longer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I held her close for only a short time, but after she was gone, I'd see her smile on the face of a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/i-held-her-close-for-only-a-short-time-but-after-she-was-gone-i-d-see/)

[Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/)

> [Jesus didn't hold people accountable; He just held them close - because it works better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/jesus-didn-t-hold-people-accountable-he-just-held-them-close-because/)

[Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/)

> [“As we rolled down the Million Dollar Highway, I closed my eyes and held him close around the waist, and he squeezed my hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ockler/as-we-rolled-down-the-million-dollar-highway-i-closed-my-eyes-and/)

[Sarah Ockler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ockler/)

> [“Tell me you’ve seen the world. Now, you’ve come back home Tell me you’ve carried me with you, That you’ve held me close. Tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller-butterfly-weeds/tell-me-you-ve-seen-the-world-now-you-ve-come-back-home-tell-me-you/)

[Laura Miller, Butterfly Weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller-butterfly-weeds/)

> [“He held her close and closed his eyes. “I would rather fail a thousand times with you than never take the chance.” “That’s some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandrea-weis/he-held-her-close-and-closed-his-eyes-i-would-rather-fail-a-thousand/)

[Alexandrea Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandrea-weis/)

> [I held her close, but she faded in the night like a poem I meant to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-and-garfunkel/i-held-her-close-but-she-faded-in-the-night-like-a-poem-i-meant-to/)

[Simon And Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-and-garfunkel/)

> [I held her close to me with my eyes closed, wonering if anything in my life had ever been this perfect and knowing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-held-her-close-to-me-with-my-eyes-closed-wonering-if-anything-in-my/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“I embraced that hope for a moment, grabbed onto it with both hands, and held it close like the rare treasure it was. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/i-embraced-that-hope-for-a-moment-grabbed-onto-it-with-both-hands-and/)

[Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/)

> [“Bruised, she spent the night with him; bruised, too, he held her as close as he could. It was all done, promised, and decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-h-roth/bruised-she-spent-the-night-with-him-bruised-too-he-held-her-as-close/)

[Henry H. Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-h-roth/)

> [“I held him close and Shy stayed buried deep, his hand holding mine tight, his breath heavy against my skin, mine the same against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/i-held-him-close-and-shy-stayed-buried-deep-his-hand-holding-mine/)

[Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/)

> [Everyday, every hour, I have held you close in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chandler/everyday-every-hour-i-have-held-you-close-in-my-heart/)

[Elizabeth Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chandler/)

## More by Dan Chaon

> [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [Even when our death is imminent, we carry the image of ourselves moving forward, alive, into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/even-when-our-death-is-imminent-we-carry-the-image-of-ourselves/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [For the last few years I've tried to force myself to write at least one page every day, which doesn't sound like much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-the-last-few-years-i-ve-tried-to-force-myself-to-write-at-least/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [I also have just my own limits about stuff. I'm not interested in writing graphically about sexual assault for example. I feel like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-also-have-just-my-own-limits-about-stuff-i-m-not-interested-in/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. You could hear it pebbling against the large glass windows, you could see it swirling wildly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/outside-the-sleet-had-gotten-thicker-you-could-hear-it-pebbling/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [I was worried that, as a college teacher, if I wrote too much about intergenerational sex my students would be creeped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-was-worried-that-as-a-college-teacher-if-i-wrote-too-much-about/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [Plot and scene are still the hardest things for me, though I think they're the building blocks of what makes a story work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/plot-and-scene-are-still-the-hardest-things-for-me-though-i-think/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“I've been talking to myself a lot lately. I don't know what that's about, but my mother was the same way. She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“He pictures amputated human arms flopping like fish down the center of the road; syringes floating on beds of liposuctioned fat; gelatinous human eyeballs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/he-pictures-amputated-human-arms-flopping-like-fish-down-the-center/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [“It’s called apophenia. It’s the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information. For example, some people believe in what’s called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-called-apophenia-it-s-the-tendency-we-humans-have-to-find/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-would-say-that-all-short-stories-have-mystery-naturally-built-into/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

[Explore all 152 Dan Chaon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

## More Heart quotes

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/)

[Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/)

[Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

Rena Kornreich Gelissen

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/)

[Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/)

> [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

[Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of other choices, other lives, opening up beneath her. Her past crackled behind her like a terrible lightning, branches and branches, endless, and then nothing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Chaon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could-feel-the-pulse-of-other/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Heart"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could-feel-the-pulse-of-other/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/dan-chaon-2729_heart_as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could_3141468.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As her husband held her close, she could feel the pulse of other choices, other lives, opening up beneath…” — Dan Chaon",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dan Chaon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“As her husband held her close,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could-feel-the-pulse-of-other/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/as-her-husband-held-her-close-she-could-feel-the-pulse-of-other/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
