What is an example of metaphor in the novel, All the Winters After?

The Alaskan Terrain is used throughout the novel as a metaphor for the character's feelings and relationships.

Alaska is also known for its rugged terrain and the tremendous effort required by inhabitants to propagate the land. In Chapter two, on his flight over the Bay, Kache takes note of the giant glaciers and dormant volcanoes "darkening the sky with soot" (11), a prelude to the dangers, both physical and intangible, in the coming year. In Part five, Kache is trying to break up the sheets of ice that have taken over their garden during the winter, "cutting the hillside loose from its winter acquiescence" (321). This is a physical manifestation of the emotional work he has been doing throughout the novel, breaking apart the ice that had enclosed his heart for so many years after the plane crash. In this same passage, Kache notes that "Breakup was ugly" - this piece of Alaskan vernacular is a portent of the end of Nadia and Kache's relationship as they know it.