65 pages • 2 hours read
Midnight Black
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Important Quotes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and cursing.
“Regardless of the enemy’s plan, however, Court was sure of one thing.
None of it was going to happen.
No, he saw this all going down a different way, because unbeknownst to any of them, the American at the bar had the true advantage.
Court’s advantage, simply put, was that he did not care. Did not care who lived or died, who witnessed the carnage, and who got caught up in it. Court only cared about one thing in this world, and the health and safety of the thirty-six other motherfuckers around him was most definitely not it.”
(Prologue, Page 4)
These early lines quickly establish Court’s absolute determination to get into Russia and rescue Zoya, as Zoya’s welfare is the only thing on his mind. The vocabulary here is punchy and explicit, as if to mirror Court’s focused yet reckless state of mind. Both what he says and the way he delivers it offer early characterization of Court.
“Softly, solemnly, he said, ‘She’s not dead.’”
(Prologue, Page 5)
In contrast to Court’s outward bluster and bravado, these lines, muttered to himself right before a deadly attack, contain mixed notes of hope and despair. The alliterated “s” sounds of “softly, solemnly” undercut the violence that Court is about to unleash, illustrating the desperation driving his actions. His comment also contributes to the theme of The Power of Love and Loyalty, as Zoya’s uncertain fate doesn’t deter Court from undergoing extreme danger to find her.
“At 12:05 a.m. headlights appeared up there on the rooftop, circling up the ramp to the parking lot, and then a black Mercedes G-Wagen followed by a dark gray BMW rolled in the direction of the men standing by the row of cars.
Vartan, the young one, turned to Iosif, the muscular one, and said a single word.
‘Nasul.’
To this, Iosif said, ‘Cacat.’
In Romanian, ‘Nasul’ means ‘the godfather,’ and ‘cacat’ means ‘Oh shit.’”
(Chapter 1, Page 9)
As this exchange illustrates, the novel often uses humor to enliven the plot and alleviate tense situations. Here, the humor arises from the deadpan narrative voice, dryly juxtaposing “the godfather” with “oh shit.” These lines also show how the novel often uses words from languages other than English to indicate its vast, rich global landscape.
