She Is A Haunting: List 4

by Trang Thanh Tran
Needing money for college tuition, seventeen-year-old Jade Nguyen agrees to spend the summer in Vietnam with her father, who is restoring a house that is still under the control of its former French owner.

This list covers "Liver"–"Larynx."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. symbiotic
    of organisms living together, especially to mutual advantage
    Parasites have evolved to relentlessly feed off others. Some relationships are symbiotic—both sides benefit. In others, the host dies.
  2. compliance
    a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
    After last night’s terror, Ba is certain about my compliance. He doesn’t monitor my behavior.
  3. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Downstairs in the foyer, a painting of the Lady of Many Tongues has been hung since Ba’s abandoned all pretense.
  4. commission
    place an order for
    It is grand and nestled in a gilded frame, a commissioned piece weeks in the making.
  5. marrow
    network of connective tissue filling the cavities of bones
    Marion will work him to the marrow, then drink him dry.
  6. pilfer
    make off with belongings of others
    In my hand is a bundle of incense pilfered from the altar.
  7. subside
    wear off or die down
    The heat in my throat doesn’t subside.
  8. agoraphobia
    a morbid fear of open spaces
    “She never leaves the house,” Florence explains, sounding relieved. Marion Dumont is still bound by her agoraphobia, thank god.
  9. vendetta
    a blood feud between members of opposing parties
    Maybe Marion’s vendetta is personal. With a slow breath, I ask, “Did my family poison her somehow?”
  10. ambivalent
    uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow
    “They don’t want to see you. I’ve tried my best.” His tone is tired, ambivalent.
  11. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    Marion draws close to the walls with a rare, imploring look stitched to her face.
  12. complicit
    associated with or involved in some crime or wrongdoing
    As I go downstairs to play Ba’s dutiful daughter, I see that the house has remained complicit in good behavior. Nothing new has broken. It gives us no reason to want to leave.
  13. bout
    a period of indeterminate length marked by some condition
    Where my sister lets off steam in controlled bouts, I have always been fond of a direct, explosive attack.
  14. reverberate
    be reflected as heat, sound, or light or shock waves
    Her expression twists in irritation, and she answers by shutting the door in my face.
    The impact reverberates throughout the house.
  15. insulation
    material reducing transmission of sound, heat or electricity
    In less than a week, Ba has covered the insulation with new drywall, smoothing the room into a gray landscape.
  16. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    I swing it easily against adjacent bricks, scattering concrete crumbs over the dusty floor. Destroying something tangible is therapeutic.
  17. curate
    organize and oversee items in a collection or exhibit
    Whereas Marion’s collection had been full of parties, nature, and family portraits, this stash of photographs is smaller and carefully curated.
  18. napalm
    gasoline jelled with aluminum soaps for use in bombs
    My grandmother, chasing American soldiers for candy while napalm dropped in a neighboring province.
  19. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    They’re so resilient in affection, and they always bounce back after a slap.
  20. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
    Florence stops waving when a caustic smoke assaults our nostrils. “The fries!”
  21. fluctuate
    be unstable
    My appetite fluctuates too often to care, but it’s sweet she remembers my confession for McDonald’s at the night market.
  22. placard
    a sign posted in a public place
    War memorabilia, historical exhibits, textbooks, personal family albums, placards, and one-line captions to sum up decades.
  23. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
    Night stretches languid around me and Florence.
  24. extravagance
    the quality of exceeding appropriate limits
    The burgers are as greasy as promised, a little taste of McDonald’s extravagance.
  25. begrudge
    allow unwillingly or reluctantly
    My phone screen flashes with Lily’s begrudging reply: I’m fine.
  26. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    Only the wedding’s raucous music and karaoke calls into the dark.
  27. debauchery
    a wild gathering
    We talk so much my mouth dries, and being tired becomes invigoration instead hours later, as if we’d sneaked out of our houses for teenage debauchery.
  28. gradient
    a graded change in the magnitude of something
    Her long hair overlaid mine, a natural deep black over my dyed brown. A gradient of color between us.
  29. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
    A pervasive, ugly doubt commands my brain.
  30. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “A ghost is my only friend here,” I say with an incredulous laugh.
  31. vehemence
    intensity or forcefulness of expression
    My heart clenches at the words spilled in perfect vehemence.
  32. dispassionate
    unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
    His answer is dispassionate. “Fine.”
  33. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    Standing in the woods’ dappled sunlight, I say, “Florence lied to me.”
  34. chagrin
    a feeling of annoyance or distress due to disappointment or failure
    They’ve gotten away, to her chagrin.
  35. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
    Only the hydrangeas grow, ruined and ethereal, more muscle than root.
  36. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    I’m coming through the back garden when Ba’s agitated voice emerges from the cacophony of yawning trees.
  37. acute
    extremely sharp or intense
    But his pain seems more acute—a live wire wrecking his control.
  38. savvy
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    We have the journals again, but a clever person, especially a savvy tech nerd, would’ve taken photographs.
  39. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    Beneath anger and resentment, there’s so much love.
  40. primer
    the first or preliminary coat of paint applied to a surface
    The walls have been sanded smooth and primed for paper. Caustic fumes from acrylic primer mix into the smell of a delicious meal.
Created on Thu Mar 28 15:02:11 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Mar 29 16:07:45 EDT 2024)

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