“If you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”
“Much of the book concerns the brother-sister rivalry and the role of Monica, and Olguta’s annoyance at the unfair treatment of girls, not least because she is something of a tomboy. ”