How does the author use imagery in the novel, We Were Liars?

The author uses vivid imagery in describing Cadence’s pain. Both the pain of her headaches and her emotional pain is described with colorful, lively terms. For instance, when her father leaves Cadence and her mother, Cadence describes her emotional pain as a gunshot. When she finally remembers what happened the night of the fire at Clairmont, Cadence describes herself as being frozen in pain.

Even more colorful are Cadence’s descriptions of her headaches. One begins when a witch hits Cadence over the head with the ivory goose that her grandfather bought illegally from China. In one instance she describes the pain as a truck rolling over her head; in another she envisions herself being attacked by a giant who wields a rusty saw.