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.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote describes the anticipation and awareness of nature in response to impending change.
Maggie O'Farrell's quote highlights the interconnectedness of nature and the sense of awareness that living things possess. The trees, personified with emotions and restlessness, signify a feeling of change or transformation looming on the horizon, suggesting that all entities in nature are attuned to their environment and the changes that come with it. This representation reminds us that nature is not just a backdrop to our lives, but a dynamic participant that reacts to shifts in the world around us.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used at a nature conservation event to evoke a sense of awareness about environmental changes.
More from Maggie O'Farrell
All quotes →She liked the way his smile took a long time to arrive and just as long to leave.
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