Simile =)

"It was like being given a maths problem when your brain's exhausted, and you know there's some far-off solution, but you can't work up the energy even to give it a go." Simile! This analogy is a wonderful comparison. As a student myself, I can feel her brain just telling her, 'no.' The situation she was in had multiple variables, and chosing the wrong method could send her down along a frustrating road. But unlike a math problem, Kathy couldn't try multiple methods. She went with the one most students would go with - walk away to deal with it later. Ishiguro's simile works on multiple levels. I'm starting to have that feeling with this book.