Simile: The Ghostly Presence in Nature
While Lisamarie is camping with her mother and Uncle Mick, she leaves her tent at night and looks up at the mountains and trees around her. The description of the "tendrils of mist lifting through the trees like ghosts" gives the scene an otherworldly tone. Eden Robertson often uses language to personify nature and create a sense of presence through the landscape. This brings the inference that Lisa is alway surrounded by spirits, even when seemingly alone.
Metaphor: The Heart
There are sections in the book where the narrator explains the anatomy of the heart in both scientific and poetic language. Lisamarie describes the heart as "sprout[ing] a thick tangle of large tubes." This gives a sense of nature imagery to an otherwise anatomical passage, likening the heart to a plant. The heart serves as a metaphor for the dual physical and metaphysical aspects of life, as it is both a vital organ and the source of love.
Metaphor: Going to University
As Lisa struggles in high school, she is not too keen on the idea of going to university as her parents had hoped. She compares the prospect of attending university as only second in pain to "getting all my teeth extracted without anaesthetic." This is because Lisa associates school with being bullied, isolated, and regarded as a misfit.
Simile: The Strangeness of Screwy Ruby
One night, Lisamarie runs into the old woman nicknamed Screwy Ruby. The descriptions paint Ruby as a witch; she is said to be "tilting her head like a crow." This comparison to a crow gives Screwy Ruby a mystical aura, especially because crows have been portrayed throughout the book as symbols of magic and the spirit world.
Simile: The Beauty of the Mountains
On the trip to Kemano, Lisa spots a "stretch of flat space" at the base of the mountain where there is a "square patch [that] glinted like mica in the sunlight, a bright glowing spot swallowed by the surrounding dark green of the trees." This comparison of the mountains to the shiny mineral mica brings a rich sense of place to this scene.
