Bridge of Clay: "Before the Beginning"–Part One

by Markus Zusak
The oldest of five brothers, thirty-one-year-old Matthew Dunbar looks back on how he, Rory, Henry, Clayton, and Thomas had coped after the death of their mother and the disappearance and reappearance of their father.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: "Before the Beginning"–Part One, Part Two, Parts Three–Four, Parts Five–Six, Part Seven–"After the End"
40 words 41 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sentimentality
    the quality of being falsely emotional in a maudlin way
    Me, I’m known for bruises and levelheadedness, for height and muscle and blasphemy, and the occasional sentimentality.
  2. perennial
    recurring again and again
    She was perennially going to the shops, but stayed.
  3. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    The argument about just why in the hell I’d brought back the dog and the snake dissipated hours ago, and those who were to leave have left, and those to stay have stayed.
  4. ramshackle
    in poor or broken-down condition
    He, as much as anyone, knows who and why and what we are:
    A family of ramshackle tragedy.
    A comic book kapow of boys and blood and beasts.
  5. blistering
    extremely hot
    As it was, it was quite appropriate, too, another blistering February evening; the day had cooked the concrete, the sun still high, and aching.
  6. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    “Je-sus Christ!” As a blasphemer I was pretty rampant in those days, well known for splitting the Jesus and emphasizing the Christ.
  7. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
    It was human derision he expected, even invited, sure.
  8. trifle
    act frivolously
    The first pair of eyes the Murderer met inside belonged to Achilles, and Achilles was not to be trifled with.
  9. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    Flare-nostriled, he was even chewing a bit. Nonchalant. In control.
  10. belligerence
    a natural disposition to be hostile
    Even the mule’s vigilant belligerence eased momentarily in consideration of this terrible, heavyweight heat.
  11. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    He thought fleetingly of shoving his knuckles into his eyes, to wring the vision out, but it was futile.
  12. bludgeon
    strike with a club
    In the beginning it was me who trained him, then Rory, and if I did it with an old-school brand of foolish integrity, Rory bludgeoned but never broke him.
  13. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Around six-thirty, Rory was across the street, leaning against a telegraph pole, smiling wry and rueful, smiling just for laughs; the world was filthy, and so was he.
  14. cavalcade
    a procession of people traveling by foot, horse, or vehicles
    A steady wave of heat came through the window of my station wagon (the one I still own), and there was an endless cavalcade of billboards, shopfronts and people portions.
  15. grandstand
    a covered structure with tiers of seats for spectators
    Bernborough Park, for those unfamiliar with this neighborhood, is an old athletics field. Back then it was a crumbling grandstand, and a good car park’s worth of broken glass.
  16. venue
    the scene of any event or action
    It was also the venue of Clay’s most infamous training days.
  17. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
    Some would say sublime, others again, ridiculous.
  18. undiminished
    not lessened
    When he changed positions, fur flew off him in droves, but he slept on, undiminished, and purring.
  19. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
    Someone need only go near him to set the motor running. Even murderers. Hector was never very discerning.
  20. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
    If it seems innocuous enough, think again, for his left foot began to twitch.
  21. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    The Murderer was sure he could hear his pulse—the din of it, the friction.
  22. intuit
    know or grasp by instinct or feeling alone
    Could no one intuit the killer?
  23. impotence
    the quality of lacking strength or power
    No, it wasn’t going to be that easy, and now he was left, this time crushed on the couch, to contemplate the term of his natural invisibility. He was caught—somewhere between the relief of its mercy and the shame of its impotence—and he sat there, simple and still.
  24. revel
    celebrate noisily or engage in uproarious festivities
    At Bernborough Park, when the last of them turned up, they shook hands, they laughed. They reveled.
  25. virtuoso
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
    They were virtuosos of alliteration and didn’t know it.
  26. gratis
    without payment
    “You can have my key if you give me three bets gratis.”
  27. riffraff
    common or disreputable people
    She had no business with the rest of this riffraff; surely one was bad enough.
  28. emphatically
    without question and beyond doubt
    The thing with Schwartz, though, was that while he was completely, emphatically fair, he’d be devastating in the contest.
  29. blasphemy
    profane language
    In the doorway, a long list of blasphemy fell silently from my mouth.
  30. sultry
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    He breathed the sultry air.
  31. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    He was impassive, blank-faced, and his barefoot feet felt great.
  32. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
    They met him in Lane Four with noxious sweat and forearms, and his legs continued to run, diagonally in the air.
  33. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    A prudent suggestion by Schwartz, but too late.
  34. gait
    the rate of moving, especially walking or running
    He ran at the refusing light, at its stubborn, bulky rays.
    He looked into his gait, at the elastic width of Tartan.
  35. wayward
    resistant to guidance or discipline
    Somewhere in there was that red-mouthed girl and her careless, wayward shoulder.
  36. duly
    as might be expected
    If a boy might pull a phone out, to film or take a photo, he’d be set upon and duly thrashed.
  37. deadpan
    deliberately impassive in manner
    The mule, true to form, toughed it out, deadpan.
  38. graft
    tissue or organ transplanted from a donor to a recipient
    They all took some cash, as did the kid called Leper, who’d bet fourteen minutes flat. When he’d started gloating, they all told him to go get a skin graft.
  39. pensive
    showing deep sadness
    Pensive and deep, my voice confirmed everything.
  40. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
    The city and suburbs and all the forgotten fields were razed and chopped away, in one apocalyptic sweep—black.
Created on Tue Nov 08 09:05:37 EST 2022 (updated Wed Aug 30 10:37:13 EDT 2023)

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