The Best Sentences

“The boys came early to the hanging.”

• Ken Follet: “Pillars of the Earth”

This is by far and hands down my favourite sentence I have ever read in a book. It is the opening sentence in Pillars of the Earth, which, by the way, is an absolute must-read for anybody who enjoys reading or writing. As a writer, I am very picky about what I read. Bad writing is rampant and I’ve put down more books than I’ve ever read in entirety.

This sentence is my favourite because it is so simple and to the point, but it’s gripping and intriguing and opens the door to an epic novel that is also, hands down, my favourite book of all time. Hooks and leads are extremely important. Before I even read the synopsis of a book, I open it and read the first line. If it doesn’t suck me in right then and there, I usually won’t read it unless I have to (like for this class).

Another great sentence by an excellent writer:

“It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.”

• Gregory David Roberts: “Shantaram”

Funnily enough, I remembered this sentence as I thought about writing this blog. I couldn’t remember where in the book I had read it, but when I grabbed my copy and flipped through the first few pages, I realized that it too was the opening sentence, and out of 933 pages, it was also the sentence the publishers selected to go on the back of the book, acting as a summary in itself.

The last line of Shantaram also stuck with me: “We live on.” Altogether it went like this: “For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on. God help us. God forgive us. We live on.”

Absolute poetry. The fact that both the opening and closing sentences of this book are so profound (yet simple in structure) made me want to read this book from the moment I started reading excerpts of my friend’s copy. (Yes, I tend to read the last page before I begin the book too).

Anyway, these are my fave sentences of all time (so far) and I highly recommend these two books to everybody and their sister. If you’re confused about what a good writer writes like, you will know after reading these.