Shooting Kabul: Chapter 20–Epilogue

by N.H. Senzai
When Fadi's family flees Afghanistan for the United States, his younger sister Mariam is accidentally left behind. Fadi enters a photography contest in the hopes that his winnings will allow him to find Mariam.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–19, Chapter 20–Epilogue
30 words 34 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aperture
    a device that controls amount of light admitted
    He snapped the back of the camera shut and chose the appropriate shutter and aperture settings, which controlled the amount of light the film would be exposed to.
  2. tribulation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
    Years of marriage, love, loss, trials, and tribulations were written in every wrinkle, line, spot, and curve of their faces.
  3. gauzy
    so thin as to transmit light
    Abay sat next to him, shrouded in a gauzy white scarf, as if hiding from the camera.
  4. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    The kids stood under the lamps and started acting like monkeys, howling and hooting, scratching under their arms. Abay and Dada laughed at their antics and relaxed a bit.
  5. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    With gnarled hands stricken with arthritis he gently unhooked her scarf and broke off a large yellow bloom and handed it to her.
  6. elation
    a feeling of joy and pride
    Elation flooded Fadi’s heart. He knew that these were some of the best pictures he’d ever taken.
  7. hankering
    a yearning for something or to do something
    “Walaikum A’Salaam, Brother Gul,” said Habib. “Fadi and I had a hankering for your spicy chapli kebobs.”
  8. calamity
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    The topic had been the prophet Job and how his patience and devotion to Allah had persevered, no matter what calamity had befallen him—even when his body had been covered with painful sores.
  9. befall
    become of; happen to
    The topic had been the prophet Job and how his patience and devotion to Allah had persevered, no matter what calamity had befallen him—even when his body had been covered with painful sores.
  10. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “I bet he’s going to get a lot of business after his brother’s election,” he added wistfully.
  11. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    “True,” he said wryly.
  12. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    The huge number elicited gasps from around the room.
  13. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    “You don’t understand,” said Fadi, his voice bleak.
  14. strew
    spread by scattering
    He looked at the grubby floor, strewn with toilet paper and a few pennies, and tried to think of something else—anything else.
  15. salve
    anything that remedies, heals, or soothes
    A cooling salve of revenge rose up within Fadi.
  16. meek
    evidencing little spirit or courage
    “As if they care about keeping Ravi waiting,” said Jon. His meek demeanor had changed. He seemed unusually amped up.
  17. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    “As if they care about keeping Ravi waiting,” said Jon. His meek demeanor had changed. He seemed unusually amped up.
  18. intoxicate
    fill with high spirits; fill with optimism
    As the other boys laughed, Fadi joined in, a feeling of elation intoxicating him. It felt good to be the powerful one—the one who called the shots.
  19. wrest
    obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically
    “No, Jon,” said Masood. He wrested the branch away from the younger boy.
  20. euphoria
    a feeling of great elation
    Fadi’s euphoria fizzled like a coal drenched in cold water.
  21. balmy
    mild and pleasant
    While Fremont was a balmy sixty-five degrees in December, San Francisco, sitting next to the foggy Pacific Ocean, could be closer to thirty.
  22. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    A third rail ran along the line, providing nine hundred volts of electricity to the trains. I wouldn’t want to fall on that, he thought with a morbid shiver.
  23. commiserate
    feel or express sympathy or compassion
    “Oh,” said Habib. He glanced over with a commiserating frown. “Well, you tried your best.”
  24. philosophize
    reason or theorize about important and difficult issues
    Fadi sighed at his father’s philosophizing.
  25. throng
    a large gathering of people
    He eyed the throngs of shoppers marching down the sidewalk, arms overflowing with packages.
  26. amicably
    in a friendly manner
    They bickered amicably about the merits of living in the city until the tram stopped and Ms. Bethune herded them off.
  27. humdinger
    something or someone of remarkable excellence
    “Those are some of my latest pictures from my last trip to Africa and Asia,” said Clive, pointing to a large album. “Now let me look for that humdinger of a shot where I cut someone’s head off!”
  28. paddy
    an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown
    The first picture showed a group of women wading through a rice paddy as bombs went off in the distant mountains.
  29. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Transfixed, he stared down at the group of children playing, framed by a group of tents.
  30. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
    That night, at the boisterous celebratory dinner at Uncle Amin’s house, Fadi ate an entire plateful of mantu, savoring every bite.
Created on Fri Jan 17 08:44:34 EST 2020 (updated Fri Jan 17 08:52:35 EST 2020)

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