Vomit Simile
The feeling of disgust rising in Samantha is likened to the feeling of vomit rising; it is similar in suddenness, and the way that it is a feeling that is uncontrollable. One moment Samantha feels normal, the next she is gripped by a feeling of bile in her throat that she cannot push back down again.
Putter Simile
Samantha wants to heave the room in a way that is likened to a celestial golf putter. This simile suggests that she needs some kind of supernatural or heavenly power in which to do so, and also that the putter would be strong enough to complete the task.
Abacus Beads Simile
Shirley and Howard had "slid" words backwards and forwards rather than engaged in actual, meaningful conversation. The way in which they did this is likened to the way in which someone working out mathematical questions might do so on an abacus. They have not really paid much attention to their conversations but their words have been more like an adding up and subtraction kind of process rather than a conversation. Their conversations have been dull and unromantic, almost regimented.
Decorum Metaphor
The narrator describes Shirley and Howard as wearing a cloak of decorum, which means that it was not something that was inherent within them, but something that they wore on the outside because it is the proper thing to do. They can take the cloak on and off, and so when they are out of public view they are able to express their true feelings, but like a cloak, their propriety and acceptable behavior goes on when they go out in public.
Hitchhiker Simile
This simile describes the lack of connection between parents and child, which is also one of the themes of the novel. When he looks at his parents he feels no emotion or connection; they are just there. A hitchhiker ends up in one's car by chance, both traveling on the same route, or standing taking a break at the same moment. This is more like the relationship as he feels it to be.
