The Corruption of Hollis Brown: Kiss-Rake

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 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. confounded
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.
  2. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    The ordeal made him one of Yulia’s pa’s favorite people though, so Hollis still tried planting both yams and Scotch bonnet peppers for him every so often.
  3. hazard
    take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
    Yulia hazarded a glance away from the chicken to check on the plantain.
  4. excruciating
    extremely painful
    Hollis’s skull pounded, excruciating, and he collapsed to the floor from the weight of holding his own body alone again, and he hated it.
  5. grotesque
    ludicrously odd
    He wanted and wanted until it made him feel grotesque.
  6. decency
    the quality of being polite and respectable
    Didn’t even have the decency to carry Hollis this distance, but Hollis already knew Walt was a coward.
  7. feud
    carry out a bitter quarrel
    They got along better than most; they didn’t feud over territory, and smuggled in low-cost beef and booze.
  8. implicate
    bring into intimate and incriminating connection
    He lasted long enough for me to write out a confession implicating me and the two men they’d kept in the room with Toji.
  9. abysmal
    exceptionally bad or displeasing
    I can do a fair amount of things Hollis can’t. His dancing is abysmal.
  10. reel
    be dizzy, disoriented, or bewildered
    Annie shook her head, and Hollis reeled at the wave of Walt’s disappointment.
  11. catalyst
    something that causes an important event to happen
    Yeah, you were a major catalyst, but they didn’t have to kill your family. They didn’t have to do any of it. They could have just hauled you back to town and handled it on an individual basis.
  12. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Walt and Hollis mulled about it for the rest of the day, but they didn’t see Jorge at all.
  13. purge
    clear of a charge
    “Is this going to go on my record or be purged like that other thing?” Hollis asked, just to be sure.
  14. canopy
    the uppermost layer of branches and foliage in a forest
    They formed a canopy above your head that got so dark it almost looked like nighttime during the day.
  15. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    They fell back into the dust. Hollis pulled himself in so that Walt could have their arms and legs, and they immediately started shaking from adrenaline.
Created on Mon Sep 22 06:59:33 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Nov 14 21:00:55 EST 2025)

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