The Map
At one point the narrator writes "I looked down at the map of my life on the terrazzo" and then, later in the story, reflects back upon this by asserting "I would leave the map of my life here, in Jaipur." Terrazzo is a reference to a particular style of highly polished flooring designed with marble or granite. The metaphorical reference situates this floor as a figurative foundation marking the path which the protagonist's life has followed. To leave the figurative map of that life behind is to literally leave floor upon which her life has been marked behind.
Setting
Setting and cultural differences can often impact the use of figurative language. "While Kanta led the way to her bedroom, I kept an eye on Radha, who was soaking up her surroundings like a parched gazelle." This comparison of behavior in a character being to that of a gazelle is not likely to be used in a novel set in America or Europe. The gazelle is an animal native to the book's setting in India among other countries in the region.
Darkness
Darkness, on the other hand, is a metaphorical concept which is universal and has become omnipresent in modern-day literature. "Our current situation is best described by Mr. Dickens: it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness." The reference to Dickens in this passage is an allusion to the opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities. Light is juxtaposed against darkness to represent the moral and ethical antagonists of good and evil which cannot co-exist without both.
Laughter
The narrator is describing the sound of another character's laughter. Radha's deep laugh "fluttered like the sound of playing cards that boys wove into the spokes of their bicycle wheels." The practice of weaving cards into the spokes of bike wheels may not be as prevalent as it once was, but many readers will immediately recognize the comparison within this use of simile. As the bike is pedaled and the wheels turn, the cards create an engine-like sound which Radha's laughter, apparently, replicates. Doubtlessly, it would be a very distinct laugh.
Philosophy
Philosophical musings also provide good fodder for the use of metaphorical imagery. The narrator contemplatively relates that "If I had learned anything from them, it was this: only a fool lives in water and remains an enemy of the crocodile." This particular philosophical musing is embedded in politics and history. The crocodile in the water metaphor in this instance is a comparison of natives of India learning not to trust British colonialists.
