the wife is trying to find the man she once knew by using sexual intimacy as they are rebuilding their relationship as is it was the beginning
"the frozen river which ran though his face"
the frozen river could imply the scarring or the emotional trauma he may be going though. the use of frozen show that the husband has become cold as he is unable to express his emotion and pain. the use of the preposition though could indicate that it is both internal and external scarring
"blown" "fractured" "broken"
the use of the violent adjective empathises the physical suffering the man has undergone
"then and only then did I come close"
this show that her search isn't fully complete and the use of close show that she may never come close to the man she once knew
"sweating unexploded mine buried deep in his mind"
the image of a sweating bomb reinforces the stress he is under which the memories cause. because of unexploded show that some parts he has not dealt with. his emotional injuries are buried deep inside
"handle and hold"
shows the wife as caring as she is being considerate and delicate towards him amd her care toward his mental state.
