My Name is Red

After I took care of that pathetic man, wandering the streets of Istanbul for four days was enough to confirm that everyone with a gleam of cleverness in his eye and the shadow of his soul cast across his face was a hidden assassin. Only imbeciles are innocent.

from My Name is Red
by Orhan Pamuk
translated by Erdag M. Goknar
Vintage International, 2002

All Over Creation

"They say only a small fraction of his heart is still alive, but I don't understand that. What does that mean?"

Cass shook her head.

"I wish they'd be specific," Yummy said, stubbing out the butt. "A quarter? An eighth? How much heart does a person need?"

from All Over Creation
by Ruth Ozeki
Viking, 2003

Sputnik Sweetheart

I'm writing this letter at an outdoor cafe on a side street in Rome, sipping espresso as thick as the devil's sweat, and I have this strange feeling that I'm not myself anymore. It's hard to put it into words, but I guess it's like I was fast asleep, and someone came, disassembled me, and hurriedly put me back together again.

from Sputnik Sweetheart
by Haruki Murakami
translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel
Vintage International, 2002