“Blaming us won't help. Blame is just another way of refusing to take responsibility for your life, and when you blame us, you give up your own power and agency. Don't you see? It makes you into a victim, Benny - poor little crazy victim boy - and you don't like that, remember? And we don't like it, either.
We don't want to upset you or make you feel guilty. It's not out of malice that we're telling you about Annabelle's suffering. We're telling you because, as your book, that's our job. And even if we'd prefer to spin you pretty fairy tales and tell tidy stories and happily-ever-afters, we can't. We have to be real, even if it hurts, and that's your doing. That was your philosophical question, remember? What is real? Every book has a question at its heart, and that was yours. Once the question is asked, it's our job to help you find the answer.”