Just on the subject of the movie, there’s a scene in the middle of it where Theo, having just had his ex-wife killed right in front of him, nicks off into the woods to have a quick smoke to try and calm his nerves, and pretty much collapses into himself. The camera lingers on his suffering for a few seconds, then somebody calls his name and he has to try and get his shit back together so he can function as a human being again for the remainder of the movie.

That scene breaks me every time I see it. It is so very relateable.

I reread it every decade or so; it feels like catching up with old friends. My eyes are starting to let me down, so this year I listened to the audiobook, and it’s still a wonderful experience.