During, he looked away from all the strain, all the scratchiness, all the fights that never got going, he closed his eyes and waited until her smile came back. He allowed himself to believe in that smile, that brilliant counterfeit of joy

Salman Rushdie
About This Quote

In the chapter called ‘Birds’, in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, he explains how he met his wife when he was wounded during the Italian campaign. When she looked at him with that smile, when she tried to lift his spirits, when she gave the appearance of happiness, he fell in love. He fell in love with her smile. He fell in love with her attempt to cheer him up.

Source: The Satanic Verses

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