When the children come Quotes

“I’m a soldier,’ Nathan said. ‘We’re all soldiers, now. Soldiers don’t leave people behind.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Bodies’, she said. ‘Lots of them’. She glanced over her shoulder to where Sally was hidden, then back to Nathan, and whispered. ‘Small ones’.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“We’re not very good at peace, not really. War is in our nature,’ he said.
‘Men’s nature,’ she corrected.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“He knew what he was doing – justifying an atrocity. But in war, that’s what always happened. Your red lines – those you swore to defend at all costs when you signed up – shifted, until finally none worth fighting for remained. PTSD wasn’t just about what happened to you; it was about what you did.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Coles faced her. ‘Better dead than–’
‘Is it?’ Lara asked, her voice cracking ‘Is it really? Because you must be absolutely sure. There’s no coming back from an extinction-level event.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“That was how you survived. See the world as it is. Not as you think it is. Not as you want it to be, or think it should be. Not even as it was yesterday. See it exactly as it is, right now.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“For the thousandth time, Nathan wondered why you didn’t need some kind of basic parenting skills certificate to have kids.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“A scream pierced the sky, a child’s, so loud he dropped his cup, his right hand ready to reach for a weapon that wasn’t there. A survival reflex from another city, another part of the world. He tried to relax, but the scream had been real. Not like the whining wail he loathed, not even the shocked cry of a kid who’d just hurt himself. This scream had mortal fear in it. After three tours in Afghanistan, he knew the difference.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Nathan ran a palm over his forehead. He was on a mission with Taliban terrorists. His old sarge would be puking in his grave. He’d always maintained that the enemy of your enemy was still your fucking enemy.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Nathan had to admit it was a highly effective war strategy. You didn’t need an army; just a way to turn the native, indigenous creatures against each other, wait until there was no serious resistance, and then move right in.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“He glanced at Sally. She sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the two-hundred-foot drop, just like he’d done all those years ago, secretly hoping his parents would tell him to come back, that it was dangerous. They never even got out of the car.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Nathan had never wanted children of his own. Plenty of reasons. Babies screamed as soon as they were born – wasn’t that warning enough of what was to come? And when they grew into toddlers, and then young kids, they were far worse: tantrums, more screaming, whining. How many business trips, restaurant dinners, theatre visits, you name it, were ruined by one small, precocious loud brat and its doting, utterly useless parents? No discipline any more. Nathan had sure been disciplined.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Attractive, blonde, skinny, a little slutty, and… well, I kind of talked to her about you. She’s already keen. You should be able to slide straight into second base.’ Mags laughed again. Nathan didn’t. It had been a while. And then some. He glanced over to the wardrobe. Maybe the dark blue shirt.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“You’ve enlarged your original mission parameters. That’s what happens in war.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“I’m not convinced we can take them out from a distance, Nathan. That’s always been the American solution, by the way. Bigger guns. Nukes. Drone strikes.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come

“Sally wiped the blood from Anderson’s mouth with her sleeve. She spoke to him, but also loud enough for all to hear. ‘Go find your son, Mr Anderson. This is our war now.”
― Barry Kirwan, When the children come