Love, Hate & Other Filters: Chapter 18-Epilogue

by Samira Ahmed
Maya Aziz thinks her biggest problem is convincing her traditional parents to allow her to study filmmaking in New York City — but when a terrorist attack is committed near her hometown, she must also confront prejudice in her community.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-2, Chapters 3-7, Chapters 8-11, Chapters 12-17, Chapter 18-Epilogue
35 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. peripheral
    on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary
    Tiny leaves on the hedges ripple individually, distinctly in my peripheral vision.
  2. leaden
    made heavy or weighted down with weariness
    But my lips are frozen, and my body is leaden as if earth’s gravity has tripled in the very spot I’m standing.
  3. beleaguer
    annoy persistently
    They look beleaguered.
  4. contusion
    an injury in which the skin is not broken
    He details my various injuries: hairline fracture in my left elbow, a deep contusion in my thigh, and various other minor bruises and scrapes.
  5. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    “Phil...it’s me...Maya.” My voice is raspy.
  6. besiege
    cause to feel distressed or worried
    There has to be a clever way to turn the tide, but to my besieged brain there’s only one way out: the front door.
  7. encroach
    advance beyond the usual limit
    The encroaching gloam calls me to shore.
  8. balmy
    mild and pleasant
    Though the evening is balmy, I shiver, overtaken by a slight chill.
  9. sate
    fill to contentment
    The chips are mostly crushed, but the burn and tang of the salt and vinegar sates me as I gulp down the Coke.
  10. infuse
    fill, as with a certain quality
    The shadows from the trees shift in the soft light, and the smell of wet earth infuses the air.
  11. beeline
    the most direct route
    I make a beeline for the shore.
  12. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    But the horror movie suspense-buildup scene I’ve manifested distracts me.
  13. cadre
    a nucleus of military personnel capable of expansion
    As Phil pulls up to the driveway, the cadre of cops parts, letting us through.
  14. rain check
    a promise that an offer will be renewed in the future
    “I’ll take a rain check, then.”
  15. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    I try to shake the foreboding sense that this is the end of something instead of the beginning.
  16. inquisition
    a severe interrogation
    I walk into the house, steeling myself for the inquisition.
  17. imperative
    some duty that is essential and urgent
    I pause. Hina is right. The choice is my dreams or theirs. In that way, it’s not a real choice at all. It’s an imperative.
  18. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    My mom stares into the four cups of tea at the counter, entranced by the little milk eddies she stirs up in each one.
  19. gauntlet
    an offer or acceptance of a challenge
    “Maya, we can’t stop you from going to New York. But we have made our opinion clear. So now you must choose—your parents or New York.”
    Gauntlet thrown.
  20. futility
    uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result
    But this one time we were studying Walt Whitman and his feelings of being helpless or the futility of life or something.
  21. aplomb
    great coolness and composure under strain
    I grin, almost blushing on Violet’s behalf, as I pan the length of her body, allowing my camera to assess her black satin dress, which is short, backless, and tight—and worn with absolute aplomb.
  22. bodice
    part of a dress above the waist
    The beaded straps form a V-neckline that leads to a ruched bodice and pleated skirt.
  23. boutonniere
    a flower that is worn in a buttonhole
    I shoot footage of Violet pinning a boutonniere on his lapel and Mike handing her flowers.
  24. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    I try to keep track of turns, but Phil meanders around a bit, clearly trying to throw me off the scent of the trail.
  25. mottled
    having spots or patches of color
    Everyday people lying next to each other on a makeshift beach, the mottled spring light passing through the dense trees before softly surrendering to dusk.
  26. faithless
    having the character of a traitor; disloyal
    Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
    Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
    Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
  27. reproach
    express criticism towards
    Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
    Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
    Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
  28. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
    Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
    The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
  29. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
    Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
    Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
    The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
  30. falafel
    fried croquette of mashed chickpeas and spices
    “Well, I’m Hindu, and you’re Muslim; obviously we’re star-crossed. I’ll pick you up at your dorm tonight, say seven? We can grab falafel at Mamoun’s first.”
  31. parlance
    a manner of speaking natural to a language's native speakers
    Except in New York parlance where “north” and “south” are “uptown” and “downtown.”
  32. apothecary
    a health professional who prepares and dispenses drugs
    I head west on Tenth Street, passing trendy boutiques with only a dozen clothes displayed on the racks, a tea shop, a French café, a vintage store, a very expensive florist, bars opening for the afternoon, Federal-style townhouses with grand doors, ivy-covered brownstones, even an apothecary shop.
  33. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    From time to time, I raise my fingers to the silver ginkgo leaf pendant Phil gave me as a goodbye gift. I wear it every day. As a reminder. As a talisman.
  34. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    As soon as I cross into Hudson River Park, the traffic din dies down, giving way to the sloshing of waves against the piers that jut out into the river.
  35. resonance
    a vibration of large amplitude produced by a small vibration
    She turns to smile at the camera overhead, the vibrant resonance of New York swelling, as the edges of the frame fade to black.
Created on Thu May 10 09:35:10 EDT 2018 (updated Thu May 10 09:45:32 EDT 2018)

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