Autism
There is a character in the novel quite clearly based on environmental activist Greta Thunberg, right down to her autism. Because the protagonist’s son is dealing with a disorder that is surely somewhere on the spectrum, but not explicitly defined, he immediately connects with her, leading his father to ponder over the metaphorical description she gives to her condition:
“I recalled why Inga Alder sounded ever so slightly otherworldly. She’d once called her autism her special asset—`my microscope, telescope, and laser, put together.’”
A Lack of Precision
No, the simile is quite precise. The reader should have no trouble picturing in their mind exactly what the stare therein described looks like. No, the reference to a lack of precision is to obviously conscious decision by the author to make Robin’s emotional disorder exceptionally ambiguous. What is know for certain that it whatever it might be, one of the symptoms is an inexplicably violent reaction on the part of Robin:
Robin snapped, scooped up his metal thermos and flung it hard in Jayden’s face. Miraculously it only fractured the boy’s cheek.
“But what happened? What made him go off?”
Jill Lipman stared at me as if I’d asked how life began.
Robin Is the World
Robin’s father often gets a little philosophical. Which is fitting since the novel often gets metaphysical in its juxtaposition of the death of Alyssa and the planet dying around us. But one particular metaphor really pushes the limit:
“Nine is the age of great turning. Maybe humanity was a nine-year-old, not yet grown up, not a little kid anymore. Seemingly in control, but always on the verge of rage.”
Darkness
Almost as if trying to buck the convention, darkness appears a lot in this book but almost entirely within a literal meaning. If one didn’t know better, one might even suspect the author wasn’t aware that “darkness” is the definitive metaphor of the modern age. And then, just when it seems as though he will work it into the story purely on the literal level—bam!—there it comes on almost on schedule. Although, to be completely precise, this use of darkness is more like a combination of the literal and the figurative:
“His palm pushed out to reassure me. He was fine. He simply wanted to run with the question for another minute, into the darkness, while still possible.”
The Natural World
The book is very concerned with environmentalism and is in some ways an appreciation for the planet. As a result, metaphorical imagery related to the natural world is pervasive as it connects humanity to the natural world around us:
“He wanted to wear the blazer he’d worn to his mother’s funeral, but after two years, putting it on was like squeezing a butterfly back into the chrysalis.”
