After Quoyle sees Wavey at a party at the Burkes' house in Chapter 38, a metaphor comes to him:

Was love then like a bag of assorted sweets passed around from which one might choose more than once? Some might sting the tongue, some invoke night perfume. Some had centers as bitter as gall, some blended honey and poison, some were quickly swallowed. And among the common bull's-eyes and peppermints a few rare ones; one or two with deadly needles at the heart, another that brought calm and gentle pleasure. Were his fingers closing on that one?

This metaphor begins as a simile, asking if love is like a bag of sweets. However, it then evolves into a metaphor, ascribing specific properties of love to each sweet. Though these sweets all look delicious, some of them contain dangerous ingredients like poison or deadly needles. It is hard to know in the beginning what one might find at the center of the sweet.

For Quoyle, this metaphor reflects his contrasting experiences with love. While Petal seemed sweet at first, she ultimately abandoned Quoyle and endangered their daughters. Wavey, on the other hand, radiates kindness inside and out. Part of Quoyle's journey in the novel is discovering what it means to both love and be loved.