Broken Harbour

French’s metaphors create a more relatable experience for the reader. Given the subject matter—a murder investigation into a particularly heinous type of crime—this is important. Most readers don’t have a frame of reference, and French’s use of simile facilitates connection to unimaginable concepts by highlighting similarity to other concepts. Scorcher pays close attention to Richie when they first enter the crime scene. As a new detective, he hasn’t experienced seeing something like the murder scene before. French uses simile through Scorcher’s perspective to detail the physical effects on Richie, who was “grimacing and licking his lips, like an animal that’s tasted something putrid” (22), connecting to the theme of The Essential Animal Nature of Humans. The inclusion of a vivid physical detail through simile creates a visceral experience for the reader. Similarly, after the first interview with Jenny, Scorcher notes, “[E]very breath I took was still clotted with disinfectant and blood, like the hospital air had closed around me and soaked into my pores” (177). The vivid description emphasizes the bleak and ominous setting and situation.

Similes are also related to the use of first-person point of view. Scorcher self-consciously tells the reader about his experiences using simile throughout the book. For example, when interviewing Fiona he thinks: “interesting fact from the front lines: raw grief smells like ripped leaves and splintered branches, a jagged green shriek” (52). The use of simile and sensory details make the passage experiential, while the specific imagery that Scorcher uses develops his character. The fact that the line is preceded by the introduction “interesting fact from the front lines” (52) suggests that Scorcher is relating his experience purposely in a way that his audience can understand.