How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"After I called you on your cell phone I closed the mailroom and put up a sign. I told them I had to go to the courthouse and that the three o'clock and five o'clock would be delivered together. Patty at the reception desk can handle any packages that are delivered while we're gone." (14.49)
Marcelo's introduction to lying—or at least, the first law-office lie he knows is a lie—is when Jasmine tells a small fib to cover for him. Not that this is any kind of practice for the other, much more devastating lies he'll encounter there.
Quote #2
The boat ride. I suddenly remember it. "He wants to help me succeed at the law firm so that I can go to Paterson next year." I am not sure whether this is a lie or not. (17.26)
Wendell's lying to Marcelo every time he opens his mouth, of course, but Marcelo doesn't understand ulterior motives because he's never had to deal with them before. In a way, they're another form of lying.
Quote #3
"Anyone looking at the picture would know that it had to be connected to a Vidromek case. Nothing is thrown away on purpose, but maybe it was thrown away by accident. But you don't believe that was the case?" (17.58)
Reading Marcelo forces us to think about the other kinds of lies besides blatant untruths. Here, he's dealing with a lie of omission, in which withholding the truth is just as damaging as outright fibbing.
Quote #4
"For your information, and not that you need to know, Wendell has invited me to the boat like he has invited many others in this firm. And for your information, I know what the boat looks like, but I did not go there at Wendell's invitation. I am not into little boys." (18.18)
What's up with Juliet? We don't even want to know what's gone on below deck on that yacht. Just name it the S.S. Misogyny and be done with it.
Quote #5
I don't know why I even asked Juliet. And why did I lie when I told her that I wanted to know what the boat was like? What was it that I really wanted to know? (18.19)
What's all this? Why does Marcelo take a strange comfort in the fact that Wendell has targeted other women and not just Jasmine?
Quote #6
It has always been almost impossible for me to lie. The synapses in my brain usually travel faster than they should, but when it comes to lying, the same synapses freeze in place. I cannot think fast enough to come up with an alternative to the truth. (18.60)
Learning to communicate is hard enough for Marcelo; learning how to purposely miscommunicate must make him want to take to his bed for days.
Quote #7
"Even now, they are still making them the same dangerous way, because if they fix the problem they would be admitting there was a problem." (19.106)
Continuing to lie after knowing the truth can cost other people their lives. That's a huge price to pay for pride.
Quote #8
For a moment I do not know what she is talking about. Lying requires an incredible amount of mental effort. (20.3)
Trying to sustain a web of lies is like trying to pull blocks out of a Jenga tower without it collapsing. Our shoulders tense up just thinking about it.
Quote #9
I cannot imagine him seeing the picture of Ixtel and reading Jerry's letter and saying no. These facts stand in contrast to the father who said yes to the tree house, who said yes to Paterson, the man who likes to grab Yolanda in a headlock and pretend he is knocking on her head. (21.2)
Does Arturo's disregard for strangers invalidate his love for his family?