How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #7
Andie was a physical girl, and that's not code for It's all about the sex. She was a hugger, a toucher, she was prone to running her fingers through my hair or down my back in a friendly way. She got reassurance and comfort from touching. And yes, fine, she also liked sex. (19.20)
It's pretty obvious why Nick, an egomaniac down on his luck lately, is attracted to Andie: She gives him a lot of attention, and fawns over him in all kinds of physical ways. The touching serves as a reminder to Nick that someone appreciates him, albeit for the wrong reasons.
Quote #8
Boney was taking turns playing different female characters: powerful woman, doting caregiver, to see what got the best results. (23.67)
Like Go, Boney is one of the book's most fascinating female characters. Nick's description of her here seems startlingly accurate—Boney does appear to be a woman who is trying to navigate her stereotypically masculine job description while dealing with the fallout from her failed marriage. Like Amy, she attempts to play different roles to figure out who she should be at this juncture in her life. The difference is that Boney's actually a responsible adult and isn't looking for anything other than peace with herself.
Quote #9
Gilpin jolted like an invalid woken from an afternoon nap. "You're an old-fashioned guy, right? I'm the same way. I tell my wife all the time […] 'Sweetheart, I'll catch the bad guys […] and you throw some clothes in the washer now and then.' Rhonda, you were married, did you do the domestic stuff at home?"
Boney looked believably annoyed. "I catch bad guys, too, idiot." (23.91-92)
You go, girl. Like Nick and his dad, Gilpin lets his subtly sexist attitude leak out as he attempts to figure out the domestic conflict between Nick and Amy. Perhaps he doesn't mean to insult Boney or demean her position as a female cop, but he definitely does. As much as we'd love to see Boney unleash some of the fury we know she's got in her, she takes the high road, which in this case means settling for calling her partner an idiot. Still, way to go.