What are some figurative language in face of the milk carton?

Simile: "Setting themselves like an invisible debate team, her mother and father would argue until some invisible marital timer rang." (Cooney 1)
By using this comparison, the reader is able to visualize how Janie's parents might argue. Each giving the points to their side until they reached a possible agreement or compromise.

Metaphor: "A true Noah's Ark-type rain, you should have some decent flooding." (Cooney 15)
Cooney is showing the reader the power and forcefulness of the rain, by comparing it to the story in the Bible.