What Beauty There Is: Chapters 1–9

by Cory Anderson
Idaho teenager Ava Bardem, daughter of a murderous thief, opposes her father by helping the sons of his imprisoned accomplice.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–19, Chapters 20–33, Chapters 32–25, Chapters 24–∞
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. barren
    completely wanting or lacking
    When Jack opened the door, Mom wasn’t sitting in the rocking chair by the stove. Her rainbow blanket formed a barren heap on the rocker, except for a tattered corner that slunk down to the worn carpet.
  2. scant
    less than the correct or legal or full amount
    Cold clung to the house’s scant walls and crouched in dim corners where sun never hit.
  3. flue
    a conduit to carry off smoke
    Wind blew at the windows and rattled down the stove flue. He needed to get a fire going.
  4. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    Wind, or something else, rustled upstairs.
  5. livid
    pale or ashen, as from illness or emotion
    He imagined he’d find her hunched by the toilet throwing up, eyes sunken in cups of livid shadow, or standing in front of the mirror, starving-thin, like a crumpled paper doll.
  6. dingy
    discolored by impurities; not bright and clear
    Bathroom empty. Rose-pink porcelain.
    Octagon tile, dingy white.
  7. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    A belt was coiled around the fan's downrod and cinched around her throat.
  8. frail
    physically weak
    One of her frail hands twitched.
  9. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    He let her go and shoved the chair up and stood on it and lifted her but her head lolled forward.
  10. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    He lurched down and rattled through the dresser and found Dad’s hunting knife and unfolded the blade and got on the chair and hacked at the leather.
  11. hack
    chop or cut away
    He lurched down and rattled through the dresser and found Dad’s hunting knife and unfolded the blade and got on the chair and hacked at the leather.
  12. notch
    a small cut
    Slash the strap, find a notch, and saw.
  13. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    The chair tipped and sent him sprawling.
  14. iridescent
    varying in color when seen in different lights
    She lay there on the bed with her arms folded and moon shadows playing over her. Almost iridescent in the leaden light. Like some emaciated Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince.
  15. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    She lay there on the bed with her arms folded and moon shadows playing over her. Almost iridescent in the leaden light. Like some emaciated Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince.
  16. barge
    a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads
    He looked at the sleeper sofa. It floated like a barge in the dark.
  17. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    Matty’s shape lay swathed in the quilts.
  18. falter
    walk unsteadily
    He faltered to the front door and opened it and stumbled through.
  19. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Frigid blue, this wasteland. The stubble of desolate fields on all sides.
  20. plume
    anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
    He stood there, his breath a faint plume.
  21. grim
    causing dejection
    The air felt brittle as bone. Grim daylight slanted through the window and crawled over the mattress.
  22. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    He wore one of Jack’s old woolen shirts. Two of the buttons were missing. A threadbare plaid.
  23. vise
    something likened to a tool that clamps or holds tightly
    A vise closed around Jack’s chest.
  24. foreclosure
    proceedings initiated to repossess the collateral for a loan
    They had thirteen dollars and thirty-six cents. They had a foreclosure notice in the kitchen drawer and a broken water heater and an empty pantry and a dad in prison and a mom under the snow in the backyard.
  25. blunder
    make one's way clumsily or blindly
    Then he stepped backward and turned and pushed between kids and blundered out the door.
  26. casual
    not showing effort or strain
    He walks across the dirt to the porch and sits in a green plastic lawn chair. Casual. Relaxed.
  27. palomino
    a horse of light tan or golden color
    She lies in the shadows and thinks about blue skies and palomino horses and happy things.
  28. cloister
    seclude from the world
    Inside he saw rows of aisles cloistered under the glow of fluorescent lights.
  29. vinyl
    shiny, tough, and flexible plastic
    He wore a checkered button-front shirt with brown suspenders and a vinyl apron tied over the top.
  30. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    His buried eyes scrutinized Jack, sharp as a crow’s.
  31. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    When he looked up, she was gazing at him intently.
  32. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    “Good. Nine times eight.”
    “I know these ones,” he said, a look of reproach on his face. “I know to the twelves.”
  33. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    The next thing he knew, Matty had the door open. Jack straightened from behind the couch, flushing, and walked to the door.
  34. tarnish
    make or become dirty or dull, as by exposure to air
    Her coat fell to just above her knees and was made of battered wool, a juniper green with tarnished brass buttons.
  35. upholstery
    covering on a piece of furniture
    In the corner in the gloom, there was a rusted Coke machine next to an old bookcase and a puffy recliner couch. Flowered upholstery. The steel springs of the cushions exposed.
  36. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    Bleak daylight fell through the barn door. Grim as his heart.
  37. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
    The officer inspected the application and gave a cursory glance at the ID.
  38. veneer
    coating consisting of a thin layer of wood
    The visiting room was empty save for him. Cinder block walls painted white. Floor a discolored pale tile. Eight tables were scattered about the room. Cheap oak veneers. Plastic chairs on chrome legs.
  39. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    Jack watched the movement of the man's eyes, how they scuttled to him and away.
  40. remorse
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
    “I don’t want you involved in this.”
    “We’re already involved.”
    There was anguish and, at the same time, a kind of loathing remorse in Leland’s eyes.
Created on Thu Jun 13 09:44:34 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Jun 14 09:34:08 EDT 2024)

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