Metaphorical, Witty, Aussie
Becausethis book is ostensibly Nina's memoir, and she's a published author, we're not surprised that she busts out the metaphors, similes, and wit to spruce up her writing. Here are a few examples of the metaphors and similes she's constantly tossing in:
- "At that instant, the TV clicked on, brought to life by a jab of Dave's finger. Shot's rang out and music blared; we all flinched like nervous chihuahuas" (2.63). Unless Dave's finger is a literal jabbing mechanism, or the TV actually came to life, we're talking metaphors here. And the "like nervous chihuahuas" phrase is a simile.
- How pathetic are vampires? So pathetic that we need a simile to get the point across: "We all looked bleached, like sightless underground fish, our pupils reduced to mere pinpricks by the meager strength of a single overhead light bulb" (6.36).
- "But in the dusty streets of a country town, where the shops all close at five p.m. and everyone knows everyone else's business, a vampire is going to stand out like a polar bear on Bondi beach" (6.37). We've never visited Bondi Beach, but it's in Australia, so yeah, a polar bear would stand out there. The simile helps drive home that point.
In terms of wit, check out this phrase, explaining why vampires congregate in cities: "After all, Sydney is full of junkies and alcoholics and creative people who don't sleep, rarely eat, and like wandering around at night" (6.37). Um, did Nina just compare creative people like writers and artists to alcoholics and drug-users? Yes, yes she did. Whether this has you chuckling or offended, it's a clever way of using comparison to get a point across.
The other thing going on here is that Nina's writing style is very Aussie, as in, Australian. She's already kind of informal with her writing so it makes sense that she'd throw in some slang here and there. Mostly we get it, except for this gem:
Wankers can cop a lot of flack, mate. (8.70)
Huh? Color us confused. We get the general meaning from the context, but we're still thinking we might need to get an Aussie buddy to help interpret some of the slang for us. On the flip side, though, it does provide some nice local flavor.