She liked the way his smile took a long time to arrive and just as long to leave.
Maggie O'FarrellRead
She has spent most of the day reading and is feeling rather out of touch with reality, as if her own life has become insubstantial in the face of the fiction she's been absorbed in.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates the overwhelming impact of literature on one's perception of reality.
Maggie O'Farrell's quote captures the experience of being so immersed in a fictional world that it can distort one's sense of reality. It reflects the ability of literature to transport readers, sometimes leading them to feel detached from their own lives and experiences, as fiction can often seem more vivid and substantial than real life.
Themes
ReadingFictionRealityLiteratureDetachment
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of reading during a book club meeting.
More from Maggie O'Farrell
All quotes →Listen. The trees in this story are stirring, trembling, readjusting themselves. A breeze is coming in gusts off the sea, and it is almost as if the trees know, in their restlessness, in their head-tossing impatience, that something is about to happen.
Maggie O'FarrellRead
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