Tennis Shoes on Carpet
“Another footfall. Almost silent, like tennis shoes on carpet." (Ch. 1)
As Dr. Katherine Warner wakes up at her desk, she gradually notices more and more things about her environment. The footsteps of Ben, to her groggy mind, sound almost silent, and he might be treading lightly to see if she's awake. This simile encapsulates the noise the author wishes to convey while emphasizes Dr. Warner's post-sleep grogginess.
A Low Violin
“He squeezed the rope, and it pulled tight, making a strange vibrating sound almost like a low violin.” (Prologue)
In this scene, Karl is desperately trying to avoid falling into the Antarctic ravine, holding on to the rope with all his might. As he grabs the rope, it slides between his hands, making the string vibrate in the same way a violin string does when the bow rubs against it. This simile paints a vivid picture of the scene while making the reader wince a little - that sounds painful.
A Flashing Camera
“In the corner, a strobe light pierced the room every few seconds, like the flash of a camera snapping a photo incessantly.” (Ch. 1)
Dr. Warner is still waking up, and she's in her office for clinical research. Accordingly, there is scientific equipment around, and one particular alarm is blinking incessantly, a light that is amplified in Dr. Warner's sleep-sensitive mind to the level of a distracting irritant. This simile gives a compelling description of the action as well as the annoying connotations it holds.
Starbucks is Motor Oil
“Ben’s coffee made Starbucks taste like motor oil.” (Ch. 1)
Dr. Warner is a big fan of Ben's coffee, and she jokingly puts some diplomas on the wall in exchange for more coffee. This simile, though perhaps a bit exaggerated, helps to accentuate the fact that Ben's coffee is nearly the stuff of legend.
Shoppers on Black Friday
“The commuters were fleeing the train now, swarming the station like shoppers on Black Friday in America.” (Ch. 2)
There has just been a terrorist attack on a train in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the resulting chaos is compared to shopping on Black Friday in America. This simile has two major implications, neither of them pleasant: it emphasizes the hectic free-for-all that has descended on the people near the bomb's blast radius, and it makes Black Friday shoppers seem petty and absurd by making the statement that everyone else who acts like that thinks they're going to die.
