Compound Fracture: Chapters 23-26

by Andrew Joseph White
In this novel, trans teen Miles Abernathy survives an attempted murder and finds himself caught up in a century-old blood feud while also being haunted by his own ancestor.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-7, Chapter 8-10, Chapter 11-14, Chapter 15-22, Chapter 23-26, Chapter 27-30, Chapter 31-35, Chapter 36-39, Chapter 40-46, Chapter 47-61
25 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    There’s no bile burning in my throat, and the food Dad gently cajoled into my stomach hasn’t come back up.
  2. snatch
    grasp hastily or eagerly
    Mom, though, snatches up a bunch of glossy brochures from the counter.
  3. abysmal
    exceptionally bad or displeasing
    “Mental health resources are abysmal here.”
  4. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    The lockbox with the photos is inconspicuous in the next room.
  5. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    The demographic percentages are bleak.
  6. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    My fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Amsler, is setting out a bunch of plastic chairs across the checkered floor, flanked by folding tables sparsely peppered with cheap snacks.
  7. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
    I do as I’m told, then tie up the entire shoelace in one giant convoluted knot, pull it as tight as I can, and try to pick it apart.
  8. bolt
    leave suddenly and as if in a hurry
    “Thanks,” I say, and bolt.
  9. asymmetrical
    characterized by an imbalance in spatial arrangement
    Half an ear gone, their mouth pulled into an asymmetrical shape half fixed by surgery.
  10. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    It’s clear their hands don’t got the same range of motion they used to, but they’re laughing and it’s contagious.
  11. reiterate
    say, state, or perform again
    I don’t need to reiterate the political climate of Twist Creek County, do I?
  12. jukebox
    a cabinet containing an automatic record player
    String lights flicker, a jukebox plays some folksy song featuring a barely tuned guitar, and a man behind the cash register barks when Dallas and I come into view.
  13. pro bono
    done for the public good without compensation
    It’s a mess of printouts and business cards: offers of free stuff, book club notices, Planned Parenthood pamphlets, phone numbers for food banks and pro bono lawyers and thinly veiled abortion help.
  14. go ballistic
    get very angry and fly into a rage
    “I mean, Amber didn’t know she was being threatened, the autism will do that, but Michael went ballistic.”
  15. stranglehold
    complete power over a person or situation
    I also know that being friends with an open leftist, as long as Sheriff Davies has a stranglehold on Twist Creek County, does not look good at all.
  16. disfigured
    having a spoiled appearance
    Being nonbinary and disfigured and fat and disabled in West Virginia public schools?
  17. dinky
    small and insignificant
    I prefer this one because it shares its parking lot with a dinky trailer serving the best ice cream for fifty miles.
  18. aggression
    a feeling of hostility that arouses thoughts of attack
    He stabs his spoon into his brownie and cuts it up with a bizarre, simmering aggression.
  19. preoccupied
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    And this is honestly perfect timing — the Davieses are always preoccupied with the Twist Creek County Fourth of July Festival, so it’s the one time my parents’ paranoia relaxes.
  20. respite
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    Our family gets a respite for a few days.
  21. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    Cooper coughs in furious exasperation and Lady is suddenly standing, breathing hard.
  22. skulk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    It’s always been the three of them skulking around Twist Creek County, and they’re incomplete without that rat-faced creep peering at roadkill and too-young girls.
  23. admirable
    inspiring approval
    “Just wanted to say, Coop, it’s real admirable what you’re doing for Miss Abernathy here. Taking care of her after such an awful thing.”
  24. tenuous
    weak or unstable
    The existence of tenuous quiet between bouts of violence.
  25. intersperse
    place between or among
    Life has always been days and months and years of dread interspersed with seconds of sheer terror.
Created on Wed Jun 04 08:33:15 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Jun 10 18:23:17 EDT 2025)

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