It was not the way Curve smelled that Colin liked - not exactly. It was the way the air smelled just as Lindsey began to jog away from him. The smell of perfume left behind. There's not a word for that in English, but Colin knew the French word: sillage. What Colin liked about Curve was not its smell on the skin but its sillage, the fruity sweet smell of its leaving.

Summary

This quote from the novel "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green illustrates the protagonist's fascination with the lingering scent of perfume, specifically the fruity sweet smell that lingers in the air. Colin appreciates the concept of sillage, a word borrowed from French to describe the trail of fragrance left behind as someone moves away. It implies that Colin is more attracted to the lingering memory and the nostalgic allure of the scent rather than its immediate presence on the skin. This quote captures the notion that sometimes what remains can have a greater impact than what is there in the moment.

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