"The people of this sci-fi novel live underground in darkness. They retain ‘light’ in their language, but only in allusions to a lost paradise. They worship Light (‘For Light’s sake!’), and their theology includes demonic figures that engineered the fall from Light’s grace. The demons are called Strontium, Cobalt, and the arch-devil, ‘Hydrogen Himself.’ Go figure, as you Americans say."

"Family, generations, hero worship, a classic American landscape and anti hero… Paul Newman, a lead with no arc. A bastard, an ass, a great character who never wavers in his ornery and despicable ways, yet I loved him. Great example of how brilliant drama can happen even if the lead character never changes. P.S. – Patricia Neal, “You want an orange? I’ll peel it for ya.” Wow."

"Well, of course you probably read it when you were a girl. Read it again. In Canada, it’s almost an object of worship since the author is Canadian, but the truth is it’s an absolutely wonderful book that will start you crying about halfway through, and you won’t stop. I particularly love rereading children’s books when I’m sick because I want guaranteed rapture; I want the book equivalent of mashed potatoes"