"It’s like a baby who dies when it’s still a baby." (Simile)
Harri compares Auntie Sonia's miniature tree to a "baby who dies when it's still a baby." Harri believes that it is wrong and tragic for the tree to be trapped at a specific age and size and not allowed to grow up. Harri recognizes that just like children should grow up and live full lives, trees should grow and expand, taking root outside.
"They all looked at us like a hungry vampire." (Simile)
Harri and Dean visit a dive bar to search for the dead boy's murderer, and the suspects stare at Harri and Dean like "a hungry vampire." After seeing the dead boy's blood, Harri associates blood with violence, and since vampires are said to be creatures that drink blood, Harri uses this simile to express that the bar patrons appear threatening.
"It was like a river. You could even swim in it." (Simile)
Harri compares the sheer volume of the dead boy's blood at the crime scene to a river. Like the toxic river behind Harri's apartment complex, the dead boy's blood simultaneously repulses and intrigues Harri.
"The letters come out all lovely and wobbly like a spider wrote it." (Simile)
Harri compares Agnes's infant handwriting on Lydia's card to a spider's handwriting. This simile is both amusing and unusual because spiders are generally associated with fear and disgust, yet Harri finds the spidery writing beautiful.
"Places where the devil is very strong." (Metaphor)
Harri's mother explains that CCTV cameras are "just another way for God to watch you." When Harri questions this statement, believing God is omnipotent and omnipresent, Mamma explains that the cameras are in places where "the devil is very strong," meaning areas where crimes occur. This metaphor attributes the prevalence of crime to the influence of the devil, a religious figure that embodies evil.
