As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow: Chapters 18–29

by Zoulfa Katouh
When war breaks out in Syria, eighteen-year-old pharmacy student Salama Kassab finds herself in a hospital tending to the wounded and struggling with visions of a life that might have been.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapters 18–29, Chapter 30–Epilogue
40 words 26 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    I see it in Layla, who smiles more, now that I do. When I see these subtle signs of life on my way to the hospital, my heart expands.
  2. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    Outside the hospital and away from the harrowing realities he documents daily, Kenan usually manages to collect himself.
  3. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    “I’ve...never told anyone about them.”
    He nods, and then smiles serenely. “All right. Then let’s make up a new one.”
    My heart somersaults, grateful he isn’t trying to wheedle them out of me.
  4. ebb
    fall away or decline
    My bashfulness ebbs away slowly.
  5. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    There’s a calculating look in his eyes and he’s gauging my reaction.
  6. fissure
    break into fine cracks
    Tremors run up and down my skeletal system, fissuring my bones.
  7. chasm
    an unbridgeable gap, break, or disagreement
    Kenan takes a step closer, crossing whatever chasm of intimacy lies between us, and, as the laws of physics go, the pressure increases.
  8. proliferate
    grow rapidly
    My fingers curl around the paper-thin covers and I twist to the side, finally surrendering to the fear that has proliferated in my body.
  9. maestro
    an artist of consummate skill
    Kenan’s hands move like a maestro, weaving stories to life between his fingers.
  10. reverberate
    be reflected as heat, sound, or light or shock waves
    There’s a dull ache reverberating behind my eyes, threatening to spill the tears.
  11. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
    “Doctor, this is the regime we’re talking about. If they want, they could drop a nuke on us.”
  12. convulse
    contract involuntarily, as in a spasm
    Dozens of casualties on stretchers or on the ground are convulsing like someone electrocuted them.
  13. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    I assess who needs to be taken care of first.
  14. administer
    give or apply, as a medication
    As soon as I get up for another patient, Nour takes my place and administers CPR.
  15. siphon
    convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a tube
    “The attack wasn’t...it wasn’t near where we are, but I had to come here to make sure you’re alive,” he says, and as if the energy has suddenly been siphoned out of him, he all but collapses beside me.
  16. deter
    turn away from as by fear or persuasion
    “Show you your arrest. Kenan tortured. His siblings murdered. Everything to deter you from going tomorrow?”
  17. epinephrine
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    “Epinephrine. Magic drug of the heart. It saves so many lives.”
  18. intravenous
    within or by means of a vein
    “How is it given?” he asks, his voice low, and I feel like I might need a shot of it myself.
    “Straight to the heart. But it doesn’t matter really. It’s intravenous and works instantly.”
  19. cusp
    the point of transition when something happens or changes
    I see children on the cusp of their teen years, fear stripped from their expressions.
  20. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    His words are half drowned by everyone else, but I can make out the gist; he’s recounting what has happened in the last year.
  21. shroud
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
    For now, this flag is our shield against the cold winters, the bombs falling from the sky, and the bullets that tear into our bodies. In death, it’s our shroud, our corpses swaddled in it as we return to the soil we vowed to protect.
  22. salve
    anything that remedies, heals, or soothes
    It’s the alphabet of our revolution. Our children will be taught it as soon as they learn to speak. Patients’ weary voices rattle the walls of our hospital with it. It’s the salve against their wounds.
  23. resounding
    characterized by loud, deep sound
    I sing softly, my voice a contrast against the deep resounding ones thundering into the skies above us.
  24. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    "Hey." I nod nonchalantly, remembering the way his eyes searched me in that stockroom and how the words he said have folded themselves between my ribs, cushioning my broken heart.
  25. articulate
    put into words or an expression
    I wonder if there are hurricanes in his mind that he doesn’t know how to articulate.
  26. contract
    squeeze or push together
    I raise my hand to my throat, feeling the way the muscles contract when I swallow.
  27. testament
    strong evidence for something
    When his eyes slip to my scarred hands, I don’t cover them with my sleeves. I haven’t thought of them in weeks. Before, I hated how they were a reminder of what I lost, but now they’re a testament to my strength.
  28. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    First, a bomb falls two blocks from where we’re standing, and the ground rumbles and breaks.
    Second, the singing stops, as if someone shut off a TV, and panic ensues.
  29. figment
    a contrived or fantastic idea
    I block out the sounds of a crying baby I know are a figment of my imagination.
  30. anemic
    relating to or having a deficiency of red blood cells
    Our breaths are harsh, ribs creaking as our anemic blood tries to supply oxygen.
  31. imbue
    fill or soak totally
    I feel Khawf walking beside me and he murmurs, “This place is imbued with your trauma. Do you see why you need to leave, Salama?”
  32. commend
    express approval of
    Why don’t you commend the fact I’m trying to make a difference, even if it’s a small one?
  33. hinder
    be an obstacle to
    I breathe in gasps, my desperation hindering my lungs.
  34. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    Every taut muscle and nerve cell in me unwinds and I sink lower in the soil, feeling the little grass blades nudging me.
  35. integral
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    Khawf is an integral part of my life who has shaped so much of who I have become these past months.
  36. extremity
    that part of a limb that is farthest from the torso
    Kenan’s smile is so warm I feel it all the way to my extremities.
  37. shambles
    a condition of great disorder
    When I look into my heart, I expect to find it in shambles courtesy of Khawf’s words and the military’s actions, but I don’t.
  38. roil
    be agitated
    Acid roils in my stomach, but I power through. “I may have done something horrible, but I still have a conscience.”
  39. fabricate
    make up something artificial or untrue
    Fragments of my memories come in splashes, seeping through the ones I’ve fabricated for myself.
  40. cheeky
    offensively bold
    I woke up the next day to find her sitting on my bed with her cheeky grin and I…forgot.
Created on Wed Jan 03 17:22:51 EST 2024 (updated Thu Jan 04 15:43:08 EST 2024)

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