But Dean hates the book. He hates it before he reads it, because he is jealous: the book, Emily’s writing as a whole, distract her from him. He hates it all the more after reading it, because he sees that it is good, that it will take her yet further from him; and so he tells her, “It’s a pretty little story, Emily. Pretty and flimsy and ephemeral as a rose-tinted cloud…”

as somebody who never read those books, i read this quote like it was one of those reddit aita posts that start out like 'am i the asshole for not getting my husband a gift' and end up with the commenters strongly urging the op to get a lawyer, bodyguard and possibly an exorcist, and fifty updates. he did WHAT omg.