Between Shades of Gray: Chapters 45-62

by Ruta Sepetys
During World War II, a Lithuanian girl named Lina is detained by Soviet soldiers and taken to a work camp in Siberia, where she must fight to survive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-13, Chapters 14-28, Chapters 29-44, Chapters 45-62, Chapter 63-Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. welt
    a raised mark on the skin
    Her eye makeup ran down over a bloody welt that blazed across her cheek.
  2. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    “Her husband wrote that he is spending time with many Lithuanian friends.” Mother smiled. “But she said the letters were cryptic and arrived with markings.”
  3. censor
    subject to deletion on political or moral grounds
    “They’re censored. That Latvian woman better be careful what she writes. And you better be careful, too, unless you want to be shot in the head.”
  4. effervescent
    marked by high spirits or excitement
    Despite her hunger and blisters from hard work, she was effervescent.
  5. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    I drew my little brother taller, his face somber.
  6. pilfer
    make off with belongings of others
    Mrs. Rimas taught me how to pilfer some by moving the weave of the bag aside with a needle and then moving it back, undetected.
  7. deter
    turn away from as by fear or persuasion
    Bugs and maggots didn’t deter anyone.
  8. bounty
    the property of being richly abundant or plentiful
    But aside from the occasional bounty from Andrius, we had become bottom-feeders, living off filth and rot.
  9. percolate
    spread gradually
    We tried to keep our voices down, but excitement percolated through the packed crowd.
  10. incline
    bend or turn towards a speaker in order to listen well
    “Hide not thy face from me in the day when l am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call, answer me speedily..."
  11. firebrand
    a piece of wood that has been burned or is burning
    For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a firebrand.
  12. cleave
    stick or hold together and resist separation
    “By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my flesh...”
  13. reproach
    express criticism towards
    “Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me..."
  14. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    The bald man arrived. He loomed over Jonas.
  15. contagion
    an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
    Mother yelled back and told her to sleep somewhere else if she was worried about contagion.
  16. malnourished
    not being provided with adequate food or nutrients
    “It’s advanced. His teeth are turning blue. Don’t worry; it’s not contagious. But you’d best find this boy something with vitamins before his organs shut down completely. He’s malnourished. He could turn at any point.”
  17. degenerate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
    I knew my parents wouldn’t appreciate Munch or his style. Some called it “degenerate art.”
  18. neurosis
    a mental illness that makes you behave in an unusual way
    His works wrenched and distorted, as if painted through neurosis.
  19. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    We talked endlessly about Kudos, our Christmas Eve celebration. It was decided that Kudos would be held in the bald man’s shack. He grudgingly agreed.
  20. apostle
    an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
    We closed our eyes when listening to the descriptions of the twelve delicious dishes representing the twelve apostles.
  21. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    They often forgot to check on us or didn’t want to venture out into the biting, frosty winds.
  22. tallow
    a hard substance used for making soap and candles
    One spot was left empty. A stub of tallow burned in front of it.
  23. blather
    talk foolishly
    “Don’t assume I haven’t celebrated the Maccabees,” said the bald man, pointing his finger. “I just don’t blather on about it like you fools.”
  24. egomaniac
    a person who is abnormally self-absorbed and self-centered
    “He’s an egomaniac,” said Andrius.
  25. accentuate
    stress or single out as important
    His head turned slightly would accentuate his strong jawline.
  26. pelt
    attack and bombard with or as if with missiles
    The NKVD amused themselves by pelting helpless children with garbage.
  27. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    The grouchy woman looked at my drawings of the Lithuanian coat of arms, Trakai Castle, our patron saint, Casimir, and the stork, the national bird of Lithuania.
  28. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    Her first reaction was of anger, shocked at the risk I took, but over the following days her posture improved and her voice carried a lilt of happiness.
  29. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    One day, while I walked to chop wood, trucks arrived with officers. I didn’t recognize them. Their uniforms had different coloring. They walked with a tight gait.
  30. portrayal
    any likeness of a person, in any medium
    Some drawings, like Munch’s, were full of pain, others hopeful, longing. All were an accurate portrayal and would certainly be considered anti-Soviet.
  31. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    News of the impending move burned through the camp like a spark riding gasoline.
  32. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    “Quit blubbering. We don’t know what’s happening yet,” said the bald man.
  33. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    He looked over at me, suppressing a grin.
  34. procession
    the act of moving forward, as toward a goal
    We began a slow procession toward the kolkhoz office, dragging our belongings.
  35. girth
    the distance around something, especially a person's body
    I remembered her, hiding the bathroom hole on the train with her girth.
Created on Tue Mar 27 19:20:05 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Mar 29 14:04:00 EDT 2018)

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