Like a Love Story: December 1989

by Abdi Nazemian
A young activist, an Iranian immigrant, and a flamboyant fashionista navigate love and friendship in New York City in 1989.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: September 1989, December 1989, May and June 1990
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    Judy’s mother sighs, in much the same way Judy just did. Their mannerisms are remarkably similar beneath their divergent facades.
  2. pomp
    ceremonial elegance and splendor
    I met them weeks ago, and there was no pomp or circumstance about it.
  3. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
    We’re standing outside Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, one of Andy Warhol’s favorite places in the city, and it’s as opulent, ornate, and glamorous as Warhol himself.
  4. repression
    control by holding down
    It’s also a place of judgment and repression, and because of that, it makes no sense to me that Warhol loved it.
  5. couture
    high fashion designing and dressmaking
    He saw them all walk in, the fabulous people in their downtown twist on Sunday church couture.
  6. jaundice
    yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
    “I look like Mahogany with an eating disorder and jaundice,” he says.
  7. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    The cathedral is majestic and so imposing, like the church wants to remind you of its power through its architecture.
  8. homily
    a sermon on a moral or religious topic
    As the choir sings a song, Stephen whispers to the group, “So the idea being batted around is that we all lie down in the aisle when he does the homily.”
  9. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
    We’re here on a mission, to get ideas about how to invade this space and open people’s eyes to the church’s complicity in our deaths.
  10. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    I love early winter in the city, before the snow turns to slush, before the cold has been with us so long that we’re collectively frozen into a stupor.
  11. commiserate
    feel or express sympathy or compassion
    Then he adds, “Maybe he’s huddled up with Walt Whitman, commiserating over how they hated the name Walter.”
  12. narcissist
    someone who is excessively self-centered
    Will I ever have love? Probably not, because I’m a self-pitying narcissist.
  13. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
    Stephen and Jimmy should be revered and worshipped, not feared and derided.
  14. condescension
    showing arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
    He doesn’t even have to say a word—I can feel the condescension emanating from his lacrosse body, from his beefy arms busting out of his polo shirt, and from his white baseball hat dangling from the back of his chair.
  15. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    It’s a gold bird, with bright jewels filling in its features. It glimmers in the light and complements her silk shirt perfectly.
  16. modulate
    fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
    I think of all those times I’ve been out to restaurants with Art, and how annoying it is that he won’t eat meat or anything that touches it, and how, as always, I need to modulate what I want for him.
  17. dub
    provide (movies) with translated dialogue and narration
    They’re reciting each line at the screen, so loud that you can’t hear the actors, and it sounds like the movie is dubbed.
  18. brazen
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
    By twenty-six she was a grieving widow, by twenty-seven a brazen homewrecker, by twenty-eight a near-death survivor, and soon an Oscar winner, and the world’s highest paid actress.
  19. propensity
    a natural inclination
    Tara is about to meet Abbas and Saadi for the first time, and given her propensity for destruction, we could all be on our way back to Toronto by tomorrow.
  20. innocuous
    not causing disapproval
    “Are you doing anything fun for the holidays?” I ask. This is the question everybody at school seems to ask each other, and I pull it into the conversation now, hoping for an innocuous answer.
  21. quarantined
    under forced isolation for health reasons
    “You guys should be quarantined,” Darryl says.
  22. duplicity
    the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith
    Pat Benatar is still singing, but I pick up the needle and turn the record player off. It’s quiet now. Nothing in this room but his duplicity and my humiliation.
  23. enamored
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    He’s undeniably good-looking, and clearly enamored of my sister.
  24. brooding
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    But he doesn’t look like he should be named after bright, gooey candy, with his long black hair, brooding eyes, and all-black clothing.
  25. coy
    affectedly shy especially in a playful or provocative way
    “I think I blew him a kiss,” Tara says. “Did I blow you a kiss?” She looks at him coyly.
  26. sate
    fill to contentment
    ...eggs Benedict for him, blueberry pancakes for her with loads of syrup to sate her sweet tooth.
  27. predisposed
    made susceptible
    “You’re the only person who knows all the players, and who isn’t predisposed to hate me. It’s time for me to tell the fam that I’m staying in New York and moving in with my man. How do we handle this delicately?”
  28. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    “Okay, that’s good,” Tara says pensively, like she’s taking mental notes.
  29. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    He raises his free hand up into the sky and points his middle finger at the cathedral and screams a loud guttural scream, years of emotion coming out of his tired lungs.
  30. nave
    the central area of a church
    Then I finally see him. Sitting in a pew. Taking photos of the men and women lying down in the nave.
  31. unprovoked
    occurring without motivation or incitement
    Art, unprovoked, grabs the microphone and speaks into the camera with ferocity.
  32. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
    “I’m here for you,” I say. I wish I could think of something better than that generic platitude, but it’s all that comes to me.
  33. somberly
    in a serious and solemn manner
    I want to lie, but I can’t. He deserves my honesty. “It was horrible, Reza. But I got through it. And you will too. I can promise you that.”
    He nods somberly.
  34. blasphemous
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
    “We made a deal,” my father says as soon as I walk in, as if I’ve done something blasphemous.
  35. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “I shouldn’t have to earn your love and respect,” I say, incredulous, “I’m your son. That part should be unconditional.”
  36. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    This time, each step is tentative, filled with unease, my feet taking a few extra seconds with each ascent and descent.
  37. despondent
    without or almost without hope
    “I know,” he says, despondent.
  38. impasse
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    We’re at an impasse now. We’ve both said what we never dared admit aloud before.
  39. borough
    one of the administrative divisions of a large city
    We are not the Grants, who jet off to foreign lands like they’re just another borough of New York.
  40. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    She flips her hair, gives me a wry smile.
Created on Fri Aug 07 11:39:03 EDT 2020 (updated Fri Aug 07 11:49:59 EDT 2020)

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