The liquid that Pasha's mum forces him to drink
After Pasha's father, an ex-boxing champion, starts teaching Pasha how to fight, his mother becomes dismayed by the same act and opts to give him a drink that would reverse what his father was doing to his temper. The narrator uses a simile to describe the intensity of the liquid comparing it to the urine from a horse: "...she would complain to my unsympathetic father. To make things right, every night after dinner she would hold out a glass of amber liquid that smelled like horse urine on a hot summer day."
Pasha's mom staring at his dad
After Mr. Shahed, Pasha's father brings to the boys the idea of boxing championships, Pasha's mom overhears. When pasha brings the idea of picking on people weaker than themselves, Pasha describes his mom's staring at his dad using a simile comparing it to a tiger's: "Dad was doing his best not to look at Mom, who was staring at him like a tiger checking out a deer right before the final, fateful dash."
The smell of the concotions prepared by Pasha's mom
Pasha compares the smell and looks of the concoction that his mother prepared to cure him of his own introversions to the smell and look of used motor oil. This direct comparison conveys to the reader the intensity and weird look of the concoction: "In order to cure my introversion, she insists I drink a dusky concoction that looks and smells like used motor oil."
The protection of Faheemah's brothers
The narrator compares the protection that Faheemah received from her brother's to a hawk's. This direct comparison enables the reader to understand the squeamish and vigilant attention that Faheemah's brother's accorded her: "He says she has two older brothers who protect her like hawks, and that everyone in the neighborhood knows that messing with their sister means getting a broken nose, a dislocated jaw, and a big black eggplant under at least one eye."
The shimmering of the water surface
While on the rooftop with Ahmed, Pasha looks at Zari below. He describes the effect of her ivory feet and how it causes the reflection of the moon on the water surface to shimmer, likening the shimmering to liquid gold. This enables the reader to achieve imagery: "...glancing below at Zari; her ivory feet stir the moon’s reflection on the water’s surface so that it shimmers like liquid gold."
