Birdsong (book)

"consumed as I went by how relentlessly unpretty Lagos was, with houses sprouting up unplanned like weeds.”"

"Have fun, oh as long as your spirit accepts it, but as for me, I cannot spread my legs for a married man.”"

"a woman for whom things were done”"

"friends with out of necessity”"

"Did you ever see a cock with a dick?”"

"face [full] of overseas”"

"I should not have gone back—I knew that even then”"

"rituals of distrust”"

"She was the kind of woman I imagined my lover’s wife was, a woman for whom things were done.”"

"She was thirty-two and tottering under the weight of her desire: to settle down. It was all she talked about. It was all our female co-workers talked about when we had lunch at the cafeteria.”"

"From the moment I met him, I had had the sensation of possibility, but for him the path was already closed, had indeed never been open; there was no room for things to sweep in and disrupt."