We Were Liars: Part Four

by E. Lockhart
Something terrible happened on the private island where Cadence and her family spend their summers — but Cadence can't remember what it was. When she returns to the island, Cadence begins to uncover the truth.


Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

Here is a link to our lists for Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. taxidermy
    the art of mounting the skins of animals
    The new house is built on the grave of all the trophies and symbols of the family: the New Yorker cartoons, the taxidermy, the embroidered pillows, the family portraits.
  2. irrevocably
    in a manner that cannot be taken back
    I know, irrevocably and certainly, that we set it.
  3. credit
    used to indicate an achievement deserving praise
    “Just remind him that you care,” said Mummy. “And that you’re a good person. Well-rounded and a credit to the family.”
  4. impressionable
    easily influenced
    “He’s very impressionable right now,” said Mummy. “He’s suffering. Thinking about the future. You’re the first grandchild.”
  5. quarrelsome
    given to arguing
    But they were quarrelsome. They no longer had the glue of Gran keeping them together, and they fought over their memories, her jewelry, the clothes in her closet, her shoes, even.
  6. confer
    present
    We were caught up easily, Mirren, Johnny, and I—feeling the power he conferred in picturing us at Harvard, the specialness of asking our opinions and laughing at our jokes.
  7. financial
    involving fiscal matters
    So when Granddad said he might leave his money to build Harvard a student center and asked our advice, he wasn’t involving the family in his financial plans.
  8. revere
    love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess
    You are so excellent, Granddad. You are the patriarch and I revere you. I am so glad I am a Sinclair. This is the best family in America.
  9. perpetuate
    cause to continue or prevail
    The all-American Sinclairs would perpetuate ourselves, tall and white and beautiful and rich, if only he let Mummy and me stay in Windemere.
  10. acknowledge
    express recognition of the presence or existence of
    I was to beg him by praising him—never acknowledging the aggression behind his question.
  11. dependent
    relying on or requiring a person or thing for support
    My mother and her sisters were dependent on Granddad and his money.
  12. earmark
    give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
    But back when Carrie first moved in with Ed, Harris made it clear that all the money earmarked for her would disappear if she married him.
  13. illusion
    an act of deception, considered magical by naive observers
    Indeed, he is a human and always was one. He was never a wild boar/jackal at all. It was only a hideous illusion.
  14. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
    It doesn’t matter how civilized and erudite the husband is.
  15. repugnance
    intense aversion
    The father sees a jungle animal, and his repugnance will never leave him.
  16. hysterical
    marked by excessive or uncontrollable emotion
    It was the aunts coming into the kitchen, their speech slurred and hysterical.
  17. bitter
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
    “This is why people kill each other,” said Bess bitterly.
  18. begrudge
    allow unwillingly or reluctantly
    Mother fixed up the Windemere kitchen before she died, and the bathrooms at Red Gate, but Cuddledown is just as it ever was—and here you two are, begrudging me compensation for everything I’ve done and continue to do.
  19. devotion
    feelings of ardent love
    You have the only beachfront house, Bess, and you have all Dad’s approval and devotion. I’d think that would be enough for you.
  20. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    You know the way Dad thinks, and you not only keep running around with Ed, you bring his nephew here and parade him around like a defiant little girl with a forbidden toy.
  21. interfere
    get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
    Johnny said he wasn’t interfering in his mother’s love life and he would bloody well work his way through community college, then.
  22. frivolous
    not serious in content, attitude, or behavior
    They were the future of this family, Mirren was to say. Johnny and Cady didn’t have the math grades for Harvard, while Mirren did. Mirren was the business-minded one, the heir to all Granddad stood for. Johnny and Cady were too frivolous.
  23. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    Thus he would punish the greedy, the petty, the prejudiced, the normal, the unkind.
  24. tradition
    an inherited pattern of thought or action
    We Sinclairs are a grand, old family. That is something to be proud of. Our traditions and values form the bedrock on which future generations stand.
  25. ethic
    a system of principles governing morality and conduct
    And yet the three of you women, with these divorces, broken homes, this disrespect for tradition, this lack of a work ethic, you have done nothing but disappoint an old man who thought he raised you right.
  26. disregard
    willful lack of care and attention
    You cannot expect me to accept your disregard for the values of this family and reward you and your children with financial security.
  27. symbol
    something visible that represents something invisible
    “Clairmont was like the symbol of everything that was wrong.”
  28. patriarchy
    a form of social organization in which men hold power
    “Clairmont seemed like the seat of the patriarchy,” repeats Gat.
  29. contrary
    very opposed in nature or character or purpose
    My full name is Cadence Sinclair Eastman, and contrary to the expectations of the beautiful family in which I was raised, I am an arsonist.
  30. visionary
    a person with unusual powers of foresight
    A visionary, a heroine, a rebel.
    The kind of person who changes history.
  31. commit
    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
    We have committed the perfect crime.
  32. fate
    an event that will inevitably happen in the future
    I changed the course of her life. I changed the fate of the family. The Liars and I.
  33. trespass
    commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law
    I have trespassed against her and helped her, too.
  34. wield
    handle effectively
    Whoever wields it has to hack away at my head, coming down over and over, but not always right in the same place.
    I dream sometimes that the person wielding the axe is Granddad.
    Other times, the person is me.
    Other times, the person is Gat.
  35. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    My feelings leak out my eyes, crumpling my face, heave through my frame as I imagine the dogs, hoping for a rescue, staring at the door as the smoke billows in.
  36. delusional
    suffering from or characterized by erroneous beliefs
    All my bravado from this morning, the power, the perfect crime, taking down the patriarchy, the way we Liars saved the summer idyll and made it better, the way we kept our family together by destroying some part of it—all that is delusional.
  37. rejoice
    feel happiness
    When each baby was born, the parents rejoiced, the heavens rejoiced, even the fairies rejoiced.
  38. deny
    refuse to let have
    They were blessed with all these fairy gifts, gifts the witch had been denied at her own christening.
  39. bestow
    give as a gift
    No gifts were ever bestowed upon her.
  40. toxic
    of or relating to or caused by a poison
    And when they were fifteen, these beautiful children, just before their sixteenth birthdays and when their nervous parents were not yet expecting it, the jealous witch brought her toxic, hateful self into their lives in the shape of a blond maiden.
Created on Wed Mar 09 14:11:24 EST 2016 (updated Wed Dec 12 11:59:44 EST 2018)

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