What metaphors are used in Lightning by Dean Koontz?

Much of the narrative can be seen as a metaphor for the need for love. Laura lost her mother at birth but bonds greatly with her father. That love between the two of them grows to a the point that she feels no lack of love. With the death of her father, Laura soon finds a replacement for that love in the Ackerson twins. With the death of Ruth Ackerson, Laura and Thelma Ackerson become as close as sisters themselves and remain so throughout their lives, often reminding each other of their love.