The Corruption of Hollis Brown: Hollis–Delicate

by K. Ancrum
In this novel, Hollis Brown becomes possessed by a ghost from his run-down town's past — but even as he struggles to be free, he finds himself falling in love.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Hollis–Delicate, Flint–Drown, Weep–Groan, Kiss–Rake, Radiant–Wallis Brown
15 words 119 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aftermath
    the consequences of an event, especially a catastrophic one
    The aftermath wasn’t his favorite, for obvious reasons.
  2. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    He got scolded and berated and pushed to be better.
  3. relentless
    not willing or able to stop or yield
    Whistle and the light. Steel against steel, the warmth of sparks and gravity: relentless as the tide.
  4. mobility
    the quality of moving freely
    You don’t work as hard as Mr. Brown did and not look at your son and wish he could be better. That your sacrifices were going somewhere meaningful.
    The promise of upward mobility.
  5. proximity
    the property of being close together
    It was a baby crush. A thing he hadn’t fed or watered in years....He knew it was probably proximity more than anything.
  6. tenement
    a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
    Half of it was ancient industrial-era buildings and tenements, the other half was aborted construction projects.
  7. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
    “I don’t think the girls like me either,” Hollis mumbled as they turned onto the highway.
    “Dude, they don’t know you. Worst-case scenario, they know their boyfriends don’t like you, and for some of them that might even be a good thing,” Annie said.
  8. indulgent
    tolerant or lenient
    “You can tell them whatever you like,” Hollis said, fond and indulgent.
  9. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    In the cold, with brown leaves cluttering the roads, there was nothing to obscure the decay.
  10. interject
    speak abruptly, especially as an interruption
    “Dude, calm down,” James interjected, to Hollis’s surprise.
  11. debriefing
    a meeting in which someone reports on a mission or task
    Timothy was in his English class, and while Hollis didn’t usually talk to him, it was a good opportunity for a debriefing.
  12. intercom
    a communication system linking different rooms or areas
    Nothing happened until after lunch, when the intercom finally called him into the principal’s office.
  13. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
    Stephanie went with you to the hospital, so there’s a chance she was an accomplice.
  14. articulate
    express or state clearly
    He didn’t know how to articulate what happened between him and James without making himself look bad.
  15. corroborate
    support with evidence or authority or make more certain
    It will take a bit of time for the authorities to corroborate your story.
Created on Mon Sep 22 06:58:48 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Nov 14 17:57:45 EST 2025)

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