comment on language / style

The author uses figurative language, like similes, metaphors, symbolism, and imagery to paint a vivid picture of her settings, particularly the Arctic Circle and outer space, and to provide a window into the thoughts and feelings of her two protagonists, Augustine and Sully. When the novel opens, Augustine is observing the sunrise in the Arctic Circle. The author writes, “The dawn climbed like a wall of hungry fire, delicate pink deepening to orange, then crimson, consuming the thick layers of cloud one at a time until the entire sky was burning. He basked in its muted glow, his skin tingling” (3).