The Gravity of Us: Chapters 1–5

by Phil Stamper
When his father is selected to train for a NASA mission to Mars, 17-year-old Cal must move to Houston with his family and participate in a space-themed reality show called StarWatch. As he attempts to uncover secrets about the show and the space program, Cal also finds himself falling for a fellow "Astrokid."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–18, Chapter 19–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. seasoned
    rendered competent through trial and experience
    I try not to show the strain in my smile, and remind myself that even the most seasoned reporters have to report on what their viewers want to hear most.
  2. vie
    compete for something
    “The astronaut in question will be chosen in the coming weeks, after which they will relocate to Houston to vie for a spot on the Orpheus V spacecraft, the first crewed mission to Mars.”
  3. inept
    revealing lack of perceptiveness or judgment or finesse
    I covered a full midterm election year, attending rallies for Senate and House candidates in the tristate area, even the severely inept ones who thought microwaves gave you cancer.
  4. aggregate
    gather in a mass, sum, or whole
    I used to feel helpless every time I opened up my news aggregating app, but reporting gave me a platform for my voice, and that resonated with people.
  5. resonate
    evoke or suggest a strong meaning or belief
    I used to feel helpless every time I opened up my news aggregating app, but reporting gave me a platform for my voice, and that resonated with people.
  6. embezzlement
    the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property
    I started incognito with my phone in my chest pocket and asked him some light questions. He obliged, until I brought up his pending embezzlement investigation...
  7. coif
    arrange attractively
    The front-facing camera starts to show just how much the humidity is taking a toll on my once perfectly coiffed hair, and if I don’t sign off soon, I’ll look like a frazzled maniac.
  8. panoramic
    as from an altitude or distance
    “Wow, I guess there was a lot to talk about, because”—I flip away from the front-facing camera and give my viewers a panoramic shot of my surroundings, and the tall buildings on all sides blend into a mix of brick and concrete—“we’re already at Thirty-Eighth and Broadway.”
  9. forefront
    the position of greatest importance or advancement
    The irony of him “loving” my posts when he couldn’t even commit to “liking” me is at the forefront of my mind, and a rage burns inside me.
  10. ebb
    fall away or decline
    The anger ebbs as I walk the streets of the Lower East Side, where the tall buildings of midtown have disappeared, replaced with short brick apartments with fire escapes, towering over everything from abandoned bodegas to artisan vegan bakeries.
  11. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    The anger ebbs as I walk the streets of the Lower East Side, where the tall buildings of midtown have disappeared, replaced with short brick apartments with fire escapes, towering over everything from abandoned bodegas to artisan vegan bakeries.
  12. cassette
    a flat case holding magnetic tape for playing sound or video
    “I’ve been in this store since you signed off, and the owners of this cassette shop really like to talk about cassettes, and I didn’t have the heart to tell them I was only here to be your cassette wingwoman. I think they know I’m a fraud.”
  13. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    We meander through the Lower East Side, which isn’t all that different from our neighborhood in Brooklyn.
  14. respective
    considered individually
    If I could fix her home life, I would. But until we can flee our respective coops, all I can do is pay for her sugar high.
  15. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    She points to me, and just like that, I’m a part of their game. A pawn left out conspicuously to lure a bishop and set up a checkmate.
  16. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
    I add my new finds and sort through the rest of my eclectic collection of cassettes: Nirvana, Dolly Parton, Cheap Trick, bands and artists I only know thanks to my thrift store finds.
  17. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    He’s angry. Impatient. Surly.
  18. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Grace’s upright posture, her camera-ready attitude. Her subtle concern.
  19. gauge
    an instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity
    During the simulation, as the craft entered Mars’s atmosphere, the screen goes blank. As the surface of Mars comes into view, fast, Mark resets the gauges.
  20. module
    detachable compartment of a spacecraft
    The scene cuts to Mark entering coordinates and new trajectories into the still-glowing command module.
  21. devolve
    grow worse
    He could change our lives, make us regulars on Shooting Stars, which, despite its patriotic and unifying start, slowly devolved into the overdramatic, ratings-hungry reality show it is now.
  22. sage
    having wisdom that comes with experience
    She nods, sagely, as I ramble through my frustration.
  23. stoke
    (of a fire) stir up or tend
    “Plus, the exploration, what it could mean for our planet, anything. It’s so scripted and boring. You know a producer is behind the scenes, stoking the fire or asking pointed questions.”
  24. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    Whether it’s splitting vegan frozen yogurt at Pinkberry or impromptu slumber parties, fixing her pain—or at least distracting her from it—puts me at ease.
  25. fickle
    marked by erratic changeableness in affections
    “You know how fickle fans are. If you take a year off, I’m afraid...once you move back here, you won’t have anything left to come back to.”
  26. advocacy
    active support of an idea or cause
    The thought of meeting Mark Bannon, one of the first astronauts picked for the project, immediately intimidates me. I did one report on him that focused on his advocacy for the space program, back before we even knew if Orpheus V would earn the funding to get off the ground.
  27. reminiscent
    serving to bring to mind
    He’s got an animated, passionate personality reminiscent of the Apollo astronauts, and I wonder if the rumors are true, about him and Grace vying for the same spot on the Orpheus V mission.
  28. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    Maybe there’s more to this mission. Maybe there are real people under this facade. A real story.
  29. smolder
    have strong suppressed feelings
    His smoldering stare makes my pulse spike.
  30. undertaking
    any piece of work that is attempted
    In this moment, just barely, the sparkle of the mission leaves me breathless. To be a part of history, to play a tiny role in this massive scientific undertaking.
  31. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    “You’re doing it again! No, I wouldn’t be this flippant if I was still holding a grudge, Calvin.”
  32. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    “It’s just not great at home lately,” she says, and I get the feeling that’s the understatement of the millennium. She drops her voice to a whisper. “Okay, well, it’s awful actually..."
  33. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
    Grace Tucker’s two teens play their roles well—Leon, the serious, Olympics-bound brother (who is supremely hot, if that wasn’t clear), and Katherine, the precocious sister.
  34. brooding
    persistent morbid meditation on a problem
    He’s sitting on their couch, the glow of his phone illuminating his face. But he’s looking up at the spectacle of it all, just past the camera. And there’s a brooding there that pulls me in.
  35. cynic
    someone who is critical of the motives of others
    There’s a fire that burns behind those eyes, and I cling to hope that maybe he’s a cynic, like me.
  36. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    The Astrokids must have played their parts just as well—rambunctious when the magazines wanted them to be, calm and pensive at other times.
  37. angst
    an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
    Is she pushing down her feelings? Her angst about being taken away from Brooklyn, her irritation for the duties that are about to be added on top of the fifty hours a week she spends coding?
  38. prim
    exaggeratedly proper
    The spouses aren’t like the astronaut wives of the sixties—prim, perfect, calm, sober—but there’s still an expectation.
  39. hiatus
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    I planned on updating on the way down and telling my followers I was going on a brief social media hiatus, but I wasn’t able to do it in the car, and the rest stops and hotel rooms only provide so much privacy—meaning, none at all.
  40. cowlick
    a tuft of hair in a different direction from the rest
    My dark hair covers my eyes, a cowlick pushing my hair up in the back.
Created on Wed Apr 01 16:07:10 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Apr 07 16:34:12 EDT 2020)

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