In a household tragedy, you are very much aware of being alone. It is something that is possible to grasp, and that is why it hurts so much. Because …

- Per Petterson

...when it came to dying, I was scared. Not of being dead, that I could not comprehend, to be nothing was impossible to grasp and therefore really no…

- Per Petterson

I write about families. That is who we are.

- Per Petterson

I remember a lot of dreams. Sometimes they are hard to distinguish from what has really happened. That is not so terrible. It is the same with books.

- Per Petterson

If I just concentrate I can walk into memory's store and find the right shelf with the right film and disappear into it.

- Per Petterson

Time is important to me now, I tell myself.Not that it should pass quickly or slowly, but only be time, be something I live inside and fill with phys…

- Per Petterson

A lot can change because you are embarrassed by something.

- Per Petterson

I rely heavily on rhythm when I write. You should tap your foot when you read it, all the way through.

- Per Petterson

A dead dog is more quiet than a house on the steppes, a chair in a empty room.

- Per Petterson