Water is peaceful. I am at rest. In theater, I am safe and pulled in where Can’t get out. Everything slows down—the noise and the racing of my thoughts.

— Jennifer Niven

Water is peaceful. I am at rest. In the water, I am safe and pulled in where I can't get out. Everything slows down-the noise and the racing of my thoughts.

— Jennifer Niven

Were you planning to jump off?"“Not on pizza day. Never on pizza day, which is one of the better days of the week.” I should mention that I am a brilliant deflector.

— Jennifer Niven

What do you know about bipolar disorder?” I almost say, What do you know about it? But I make myself breathe and smile. “Is that the Jekyll-Hyde thing?” My voice sounds flat and even. Maybe a little bored, even though my mind and body are on alert. “Some people call it manic depression. It’s a brain disorder that causes extreme shifts in mood and energy. It runs in families, but it can be treated.” I continue to breathe, even if I’m not smiling anymore, but here is what is happening: my brain and my heart are pounding out different rhythms; my hands are turning cold and the back of my neck is turning hot; my throat has gone completely dry. The thing I know about bipolar disorder is that it’s a label. One you give crazy people. I know this because I’ve taken junior-year psychology, and I’ve seen movies, and I’ve watched my father in action for almost eighteen years, even though you could never slap a label on him because he would kill you. Labels like “bipolar” say This is why you are the way you are. This is who you are. They explain people away as illnesses.

— Jennifer Niven

What if life could be this way? Only the happy parts, none of the terrible, not even the mildly unpleasant. What if we could just cut out the bad and keep the good? This is what I want to do with Violet - give her only the good, keep away the bad, so that good is all we ever have around us.

— Jennifer Niven

When he smiles like that, there's a single dimple. It was the thing that got me the very first time I saw him.

— Jennifer Niven

Who cares for Algebra? Who delights in solving math? I only want to live my lifelong the creative path.

— Jennifer Niven

You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.

— Jennifer Niven

You are driving me crazy. You have been driving me crazy for weeks.

— Jennifer Niven

You have been in every way all that anyone could be... If anybody could have saved me it would have been you.

— Jennifer Niven