/lit/ - Literature

What's your favorite opening line from a book?

One I like is from Lolita:

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

Literally the perfect opening. The tip of the tounge taking a trip of three steps down on the palate to tap? I wonder how long he pondered this line.

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

Has a more perfect opening paragraph than this ever been written? "The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down on the palate to tap"? Seriously, how is it even possible to come up with this stuff.