The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz

"But Charlie had married her. He must have seen something in her. Though the flush of new love might be over, something else must have come along to sustain them. If not life would simply be a series of meals, chores, and petty aggravations."
(p. 85)

"It was important to have a purpose. Winnie had her husband and children, and as soon as you have children, you can stop looking for a purpose in life. Your purpose is always there, running around, messing up diapers, needing food, education, toys, and experience. Children are a built-in purpose. Maybe that's why so many people have them."
(p. 97)

"I think some romantic love works that way: you fall not only for the person, but also for a vision of yourself in their world."
(p. 125)

"'I was afraid you had become the type of man I wouldn't like.'
'Have I?'
'I don't know. It doesn't matter. Some feelings are so tied up in who you are, you can't get rid of them, even when you know you should.'
'If I have turned into the kind of man you wouldn't like, I'll change,' Max said."
(p. 269)

"When does civility stop being a good thing and become a way of never saying what you mean?"
(p. 281)