Sunset metaphor
In the following passage, Marra beautifully describes the sunset: "the sunset is a coppery coin on the horizon." This metaphor gives us an idea of what the sunset looks like, indicating its bright color and shine.
Skinny simile
Marra uses a simile to describe a man as being "as skinny as a soaked poodle," a visual indication of how thin the man is, suggesting he might be malnourished and deprived.
Fantasy simile
Using a simle, Marra indicates that tv shows and the news are fantasy: "The television dramas we grew up on, stories of star-crossed lovers, stories of love overcoming all obstacles, well, they're all fairy tales, obviously, like the television news."