Relationships
In addition to being a war story, the novel is also a coming-of-age story about teens dealing with hormones in the midst of extreme external conditions. Ellie is particularly sensitive to the aspect of the peculiar circumstances. “It’d be like Adam and Eve having a fight in the Garden of Eden” is her metaphorical encapsulation of what would happen should their small group suddenly start focusing on romantic couplings to the detriment of the more serious issue at hand.
Coming-of-Age
The novel is to an extent a coming-of-age story. This is what one of the characters means with contemplatively metaphorical recognition, “We believed we were safe. That was the big fantasy. Now we know we’re not, and like you said, we’ll never feel safe again, and so it’s bye-bye innocence. It’s been nice knowing you, but you’re gone now.” This is a portrait of the psyche at the moment it has learned that a huge leap has been made been in maturity. It is all perception, still. The reality, of course, is that even having witnessed what they’ve witnessed and done what they’ve done, these are still teenagers who have a whole lot of innocence in them that is not yet ready to wave bye-bye.
Homer and Fi
Among the relationships that could complicate the little group is the one that seems to suddenly be rapidly developing between Homer and Fi. Homer is like a brother to Ellie, the narrator, and Fiona is “perfect” to everybody. The idea of a relationship developing between these two seems absurd to Ellie. But the evidence is undeniable. “He stared moodily into the gravel, sighed, and stood up. Suddenly his face changed. He went red and started wriggling his head around, like his neck had got uncomfortable after all these years of connecting his head to his body.” The commentary on Homer’s neck confirms the backstory that Homer sees himself as a fish out of water no matter where he is with these people. His unease with the other students stems from an originating point of unease with himself. The arrival of the perfect Fiona coming to brush her perfect teeth at just the moment is just one of innumerable events capable of kickstarting his discomfort.
Wakers
“Some people wake up fast and some people wake up slow. I wake up dead.” This is a metaphorical self-description by Ellie in her narration. The agreement is for Fiona to wake her up at 11:00. But, as Ellie admits, agreeing to something and actually doing it are two separate things. The imagery of this metaphorical is character description at its simplest yet most effective. One can instantly either identify with Ellie or completely not be able to get her, but either way something essential about her personality is established.
Almost But Not Quite
Teenagers untethered to parent observation inevitably equals something. That “something” is described in metaphorical terms at the moment of almost but not quite getting to it. “I was lost somewhere in the rapids of my feelings. If life is a struggle against emotion, then I was losing.” The situation in which they find themselves is capable of producing a host of emotions, but the particular emotions that Ellie is describing have nothing to do with making war and everything to do with making love. And yet, throughout it all, the specter of the war hangs heavy over every moment.
