"These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger that he will plunge through."
— Nicholls, David (b. 1966)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
New York
Publisher
Vintage
Date
2009
Metaphor
"These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger that he will plunge through."
Metaphor in Context
He eats supper with the television on, hopping channels and restricting himself to the solitary beer that came free with the delivery. But there's something saddening about eating alone, hunched over on the sofa in this strange house and for the first time that day he feels a rush of despair and loneliness. These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger that he will plunge through. Now he hears the ice creak beneath him, and so intense and panicking is the sensation that he has to stand for a moment, press his hands to his face and catch his breath. He exhales slowly through his fingers, then rushes into the kitchen and throws dirty plates into the sink with a clatter. He has a sudden overwhelming need to drink, and to keep on drinking. He finds his phone.
(p. 416)
(p. 416)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
David Nicholls, One Day (New York: Vintage, 2009).
Date of Entry
07/16/2014
