Ape House Quotes
"Bonobos and humans share 98.7 percent of their DNA, which makes them susceptible to the same viruses."
"I begged and pleaded with Dr. Hughes to be allowed to do something, anything. I would mop floors, clean toilets, do laundry, just to be near them."
"Bonobos—along with dolphins and humans—are the only animals known to have recreational sex."
"We are, all of us, collaborators. We are, in fact, family."
"You can insult an animal in a social situation and have to make it up to him? And possibly fail?"
"I can't really describe it adequately. I felt very strongly that this was where I belonged."
"After she 'caught' Mbongo, they rolled around on the floor tickling each other and laughing."
"I don’t know if I can say what it is. It just… is."
"The thought of being without her terrified me."
"The last time I’d come home to such a scene, she’d just sold The River Wars."
"I don’t see how I could have given them anything from behind glass."
"I don’t know about blowing him out of the water…"
"You’re welcome," the old man replied in a baffled tone.
"Women are having babies into their sixties these days."
"We have every confidence that the perpetrators will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"We have taken definitive measures to ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again."
"Get your hands off me!" Cat shrieked. "That’s assault!"
"Don't," she said sharply, sensing the look Isabel was aiming at her back. "I already have a mother."
"My God is right," she said, lowering her tone to match his, and nodding rapidly.
"I’m going to close the door now," Celia said calmly.
"Because it’s backward. You’re pointing it at yourself."
"You’re taking early retirement? Are you insane?"
"You think I can’t get a job by myself? Is that what you think?"
"I didn’t know," she said. Her voice had taken on an edge.
"I, uh… well, a pizza. Or a bento box. Or a combo."
"Of course that amount of adrenaline would be followed by a physical crash."
"It was true he was working on no sleep and the physical aftereffects of sheer terror."
"He needed 800 words by midnight. By 9:07, he had 205 words written. By 10:31, he was back down to 187."
"He thought of Oscar Wilde’s remark that he’d spent the morning removing a comma and the afternoon putting it back."
"John sat hyperventilating in front of his 422 words."
"He discovered he’d said the same thing twice, a paragraph apart."
"He wanted to pull his brain out of his nose with a crochet hook—surely that would be easier than finding more words."
"He stared in astonishment and checked the word count—797."
"He crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around the pillow."
"The redhead opened the door. She was heavily made up, and wearing a latex dress the color of maraschino cherries."
"The bathroom door opened and another woman came out. Her hair was wrapped in a towel. Other than that she was completely naked."
"He hit the snooze button, jacked off with great effort and misery, hit the snooze button again, ripped the covers back, and went to the bathroom to clean up."
"John’s last glimpse was of her at the bed reaching for the vodka."
"He was devastated by lack of sleep, so tired he nicked himself four times while shaving."
"John spread his starched white napkin across his lap, and lifted his knife and fork."
"Bonzi, who had been ordering pizza for Jelani, spun on her metal chair."
"Makena leaned against the wall and began signing: she banged the knuckles of one hand against her other palm."
"John was distracted by a white glove flashing in front of his face."
"John’s comment on the physical differences between chimpanzees and bonobos had been boiled down into a single statement: 'The Pamela Andersons of the ape world!'"
"John’s references to their acquisition of human language had been removed completely."
"John had settled on his bed with the Weekly Times and was trying to undo his education when the foundations of the building were rocked by a deafening ka-boom."
"John jerked his knees to his chest and covered his head."
"John stared at his feet. They were surrounded by shards of glass—the windows had blown out with such velocity that pieces had traveled across the street."
"John dropped to his knees and hovered, unable to tell if the person—he assumed it was a man, although at this point it was hard to tell—was still alive."
"John lifted his hands in a gesture of desperation."
"John stood watching as the ambulance crew removed the charred bedspread and loaded the man onto a gurney."
"John felt powerless. He wanted to hold the guy’s hand, or provide some soothing contact."
"John leapt to his feet, waving his arms and screaming, 'Here! We need help here!'"
"John stared at the credit card, slid it into his back pocket, and walked to the door."
"Back in his room, he pulled the magazine from its envelope."
"John’s hand was on the doorknob before he turned back."
"The redhead leaned in close to the screen, waggling her cigarette, her eyes growing misty."
"John had just seen the contents of Peter Benton’s inbox."
"John pored over the contents of Peter Benton’s inbox, chewing and picking his cuticles."
"John was still staring at the television. Was it even possible?"
"John flipped through the channels, stopping briefly on Ape House."
"John watched breathlessly to see if the baby was alive."
"John stared in astonishment, feeling the deep ache of relief."
"John swung his legs off the side of the bed and sat up."
"I always use condom," she explained. "This time, I keep. He thinks I’m too old for cougar. Well, maybe not too old for baby. Ha. That will teach."
"You’re going to experience what it feels like to be kept in a cage by hostile people who don’t care about you or your suffering, just like all those apes you experimented on at PSI."
"He’s a bit out of control at the moment. His father and I are hoping it’s just a phase."
"Never again will I keep a toothbrush in the same room as a toilet."
"We have an offer on the house in Philly, so at least we won’t have to wait too long to divvy that up."
"She smokes, doesn’t she? She’s who was in your room right before I got there, wasn’t she?"
"I’m too superstitious to believe anything at this point."
"We’re going to be in so much trouble when we have a baby."