"Michael Marshall Smith " posted:

What you have to understand is that sometimes things are the way they seem. By that I don’t mean that they aren’t the way they might be thought to be, beneath what you see, necessarily, what I mean is that… Christ: I’ll start this again.
Sometimes, things are not the way they seem. You look at something and it seems straightforward, and you think you understand it, and it’s only later you realise that the truth is different.
Okay: no prizes for observation so far.
Sometimes, on the other hand, you look at something and you know already it’s not the way it seems. You know because you understand what you’re seeing, you’re aware of the context and you realise that appearances are being deceptive.
But sometimes, and this is the important sometimes, that’s wrong.
Sometimes, when you think you’re being deceived, you’re not. Sometimes things are the way they look, however surprising that may be. And sometimes that can make all the difference in the world.
Let me put it another way. Why does a journey always seem quicker coming back?