The Knife of Never Letting Go: Part VI

by Patrick Ness
Growing up in the extraterrestrial settlement of Prentisstown, Todd has always been taught that the virus that allows the men of his town to hear each other's thoughts is the same disease that killed the colony's girls and women. When Todd makes a discovery that endangers his safety, he flees his town and encounters a strange girl, Viola. Together they attempt to discover the truth about Prentisstown — while fighting for their lives.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts I–II, Part III, Parts IV-V, Part VI

Here is a link to our lists for A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. precede
    come before
    “Is that Noise I hear?” says a loud voice, preceded by its own Noise thru a door opening itself at the foot of the bed.
  2. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    Jacob looks at me solemnly, a finger in his mouth, and gives a little nod.
  3. uppity
    arrogant or self-important
    “Maybe someone’s set up another loudspeaker across the river,” she says. “Just in case the women were getting any uppity ideas about leaving.”
  4. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    Ben slinks back a little farther into the bushes.
  5. pelt
    attack and bombard with or as if with missiles
    We pelt him with sudden askings.
  6. ruffle
    fluff up
    Doctor Snow kisses him on the top of the head and ruffles his hair.
  7. curt
    brief and to the point
    There’s a general but reluctant nodding of heads, all serious and curt.
  8. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Ben looks back and forth twixt the two of us. He furrows his brow.
  9. willful
    done by design
    “I was wrong. I was stupid.” He looks away. “I was willfully blind.”
  10. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
    I remember his Noise from back on the farm, about my birthday, about how a boy becomes a man.
    About what complicity really means and how it can be passed on.
  11. relentless
    never-ceasing
    Thump budda-thump budda-thump. Coming down the road, relentless, like a joke that ain’t ever gonna be funny.
  12. atone
    make amends for
    “I atone for the wrong I’ve done by keeping you safe.”
  13. nicety
    conformity with some standard of correctness or propriety
    Oooh, listen to me, writing down ‘ain’t’ when addressing my son. That’s settler life for you, I spose, not much time for niceties and it’s easy to sink to the level of people who revel in squandering their manners.
  14. revel
    take delight in
    Oooh, listen to me, writing down ‘ain’t’ when addressing my son. That’s settler life for you, I spose, not much time for niceties and it’s easy to sink to the level of people who revel in squandering their manners.
  15. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    Oooh, listen to me, writing down ‘ain’t’ when addressing my son. That’s settler life for you, I spose, not much time for niceties and it’s easy to sink to the level of people who revel in squandering their manners.
  16. devout
    deeply religious
    Aaron believes what he believes devoutly, has been a pillar of faith for all of us these long years and should anyone find this journal and read it, let me say here for the record that it was a privilege to have him come by and bless you on yer first day of life.
  17. peal
    a deep prolonged sound
    She musta heard the whole tune in my Noise and of course Ben singing it cuz here it comes, rolling outta her mouth like the peal of a bell.
  18. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    The water roars over the cliff in a violent white foam, sending spray hundreds of feet out into the sheer drop and above and all around, soaking us in our clothes and throwing rainbows all over the place as the rising sun lights it.
  19. fortified
    secured with bastions
    With the binocs, I follow the river road back from it and I see what’s probably a roadblock with what might be a fortified fence running away from it and to either side.
  20. righteous
    characterized by accepted standards of morality or justice
    Close enough to see the scars and the righteous anger.
  21. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    “Has he seen us?” Viola asks, her voice pulled taut.
  22. squelch
    walk through mud or swampy land
    And sliding to the road—
    And squelching in the mud at the roadside—
  23. instinctive
    unthinking
    A pop of mud flies up outta the road next to Viola’s feet ahead of me—
    I cry out and Viola cries out and we both instinctively flinch down—
  24. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    “Come with me,” I say, looking right into her as hard as I can, pouring out as much hope as I can muster.
  25. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    Someone has moved or carved rocks into four rows of simple pews with an aisle down the middle, all facing a taller rock, a pulpit, a pulpit with a flat surface which a preacher could stand on and preach with a blazing white wall of water crashing down behind him...
  26. martyrdom
    death because of a person's adherence of a faith or cause
    He’s at the pulpit now, facing me down the center aisle, reaching out his Noise over the sound of the falls, pushing it toward me, grabbing at what he can, and the sacrifice and God’s perfect work and the martyrdom of the saint I hear.
  27. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    But she’s got a big flat stone in her hands and launches it at Aaron with a grimace and an angry grunt and he ducks and tries to deflect it with one hand but it catches him across the forehead, causing him to stumble away from both her and me, toward the ledge, toward the front of the church—
  28. falter
    speak haltingly
    “I’m already a man,” I say, but I’ve fallen, I’ve dropped the knife, my voice is faltering, my hand over the bleeding from my neck.
  29. rivulet
    a small stream
    He staggers but he stands, twixt me and Viola, uncurling himself, his back to Viola but towering over her, a whole rivulet of blood spouting from the side of his head now, but he’s effing well tall as a nightmare—
  30. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    “I have told you, young Todd,” he says, his voice low and monstrous, his Noise glowering at me with a fury so pure it nearly knocks me back. “I am a saint.”
  31. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    His tongue swells and writhes.
  32. involuntarily
    against your will
    Mr. Prentiss Jr. flinches, actually flinches a little and pulls his reins involuntarily, making his horse rear up for a second.
  33. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    The horse is twisting round one more time—
    I wait—
    The horse brings Davy round to me, careening him low in the saddle—
  34. clod
    a compact mass
    Across road again as it doubles back—
    Down and down—
    Kicking up clods of earth and jumping over bushes—
    Stumbling over roots—
  35. steeple
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    The road is leading to the big church up ahead, a clearing of the trees, the steeple shining down onto a town square in front of it.
Created on Sun Nov 18 12:16:06 EST 2018 (updated Thu Apr 25 09:48:52 EDT 2019)

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