Opening Line
The opening line of the story is a metaphor. Juliette is describing the way that another girl in her English class looks. Specifically, she is using metaphor to convey the appearance of the girl’s hair:
“Calliope Burns has a cloud of curls.”
Juliette
Calliope also has a store of metaphors in ready supply for describing Juliette. Except, in this case, the description is less directly physical in nature than an insight into the fundamental core of her being.
“Juliette, who is not a girl at all, who is a monster, a target, a danger in the dark.”
Names
What’s in a name? Well, you know what the Bard has to say on the matter: that whole thing about the rose still smelling sweet even if it was called a stench blossom. Juliette does not seem to subscribe to Shakespeare’s theory, however:
“Cal. That’s what Calliope’s friends call her. But Cal is a rough word, a heavy hand on your shoulder, a gruff sound in your throat. Juliette prefers Calliope. Four syllables. A string of music.”
Juliette, Physically Speaking
Juliette’s physical appearance does eventually warrant the use of metaphorical language. In fact, Calliope may be forgiven for going a little overboard. Love will do that. Until somebody gets bored or mad or dies or something, anyway.
“Juliette’s mouth is a work of art. That’s the first thing Cal noticed.”
Or Something
That something which gets in the way of love comes in many different forms. Fortunately, most of the time it doesn’t appear to involve wooden stakes sharpened to a knife-like point. But, sometimes it does:
“She can still feel the wooden tip of the stake between her ribs, the sharpness of it like a rock through the smooth glass of their kiss.”
