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A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

Book by John Burnside · 3 quotes · Family, Father, History

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All Family Father History Identity Lies Loss Rebellion Self

A Lie About My Father: A Memoir Quotes

“He lied all the time even when there was no need to lie [...] He needed a _history_, a sense of self. [Burnside on his father, p. 22]”

Father Family History Lies

Book:A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

Source: A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

“There are days when that dark face is something I can think of as a friend – a primal energy that carries me forward when nothing else will – but more often than not I am face-to-face with a stranger, a companion to something I recognise as myself, sure enough, but one who knows more than I do, thinks less of danger and propriety than I ever have or will, feels a cool and amused contempt for the rules and rituals by which I live, the duties I too readily accept, the compromises I too willingly allow (p. 262)”

Self Identity Rebellion

Book:A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

Source: A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

“As I child, I came to this idea with a horrified fascination. Once upon a time, I wasn’t here. Before that, my parents weren’t here. And before that…”

Loss Family

Book:A Lie About My Father: A Memoir

Source: A Lie About My Father: A Memoir