Opening Line
The very first line of the book introduces metaphorical language into the story. "He was my people—he and I kneaded by the same hands." The metaphor here is to preparing dough for baking bread. Bread is often called the staff of life—there is an implicit connection between making bread the act of creation. By "my people" the narrator means those calling the Levant region of the Middle East home.
Memory
A complex extended metaphor is engaged on the subject of memory. The protagonist of the story at times speaks directly to the author of the book who has urged her to write her own story. "Memory is a wound, you said...Unless I go in with my scalpel and suction to excavate, to clean, to bring into light, that wound festers, and the gangrene of decay will eat me alive." This is metaphorical language taken almost to the point of poetry. The imagery is unpleasant and that serves to make the opening assertion all the more meaningful and easier to comprehend.
Gender Transformation
Mina is a trans woman. In one of her addresses to the author, it is revealed that he also has had experiences with gender transformation. "They covered your face with so much makeup that you felt like a cadaver being readied for an open casket." This is an especially tough simile. To compare the process of others trying to transform gender appearance to being a corpse is very suggestive of gender dysphoria. And, indeed, the author's first experience last only thirty seconds before he is desperately trying to regain his masculinity. Notably, however, it is not his last experience.
The Roots of Femininity
The narrator, Mina, describes how she came to adopt her trans name. It is an experience in the jungle back when the narrator's gender presentation matched with biological sex. "I barely moved; my fear grew roots that spread into the jungle floor." The metaphor is surprising apt because the roots of her transformation are also to be found in the jungle. As is often the case, fear gives birth to something new. The terror is caused by a female orangutan who gets along with women well enough, but demonstrates a special hatred for men because of the abuse she suffered in captivity. When the orangutan comes face to face with the man in the jungle, she stops, seemingly confused about the gender of her potential victim. The orangutan's name turns out to be Mina.
Refugee Camp
The book is ostensibly a story of Middle Eastern refugees. The intersectionality with the chapters in which Mina addresses the author brings this into question. Nevertheless, the narrative itself does chart the plight of refugees which at one point includes time spent in refugee camp. "The barracks were just that, one large room where everyone slept, a house of cards that would have fallen apart had it not been for the clouds of cobwebs holding it together." The dominant imagery in this metaphor-laden description is that flimsy construction. And that effective describes the entire refugee situation which the narrative reveals is experienced moment-to-moment but lived on a combination of long-term dreams and frustrations.
