Like Seashells That Sing (Simile)
Early in the novel, Omar watches British men to see if one of them might be his father. He touches knives, hunting horns, and a photograph which the narrator describes as "miserable artifacts... which preserved, on the mantels of his declining years, the dying echoes of the past, like seashells that sing of distant seas..." This comparison to singing seashells suggests he is attempting to conjure distant memories with these objects, but isn't quite able to.
Hot Afternoon Breath That Chokes (Metaphor)
The narrator describes a hot afternoon wind that unsettles Bilquìs in the following terms: "I'll be fair: nobody likes the Loo, that hot afternoon breath-that-chokes. We pull down our shutters, hang damp clothes over the windows, try to sleep." He uses the metaphor of a "breath-that-chokes" to suggest the oppressive intensity of this wind.
History is a Rusted Machine (Metaphor)
During one of his long asides, the narrator uses a metaphor to describe history: "History was old and rusted, it was a machine nobody had plugged in for thousands of years, and here all of a sudden it was being asked for maximum output." He employs this metaphor to state that history in his country was not progressing in an orderly fashion but was instead decaying and then pushed to pivot rapidly.
Like Cockroaches (Simile)
While showing Arjumand her shawls, Rani reveals the truth of Iskander's life: "but he wanted more, only annihilation was good enough for his opponents, he wanted them squashed like cockroaches under his boot..." This simile notes that Iskander wanted to crush his opponents "like cockroaches," demonstrating the disgust and hatred with which he viewed his political enemies.
Gossip is Like Water (Simile)
While recounting Farah's fall from grace after Omar impregnates her, the narrator makes the following observation: "Gossip is like water. It probes surfaces for their weak places, until it finds the breakthrough point; so it was only a matter of time before the good people of Q. hit upon the most shameful, scandalous explanation of all." He uses this simile about gossip being like water to show the way in which it spreads everywhere rapidly, as does in the aftermath of this scandal.
