The first time I read Frazier's novel, I collected a hefty list of unfamiliar words. What follows is an informal test involving a few of these words. Circle the answer you feel is correct. Answers are at the end, but no cheating. A cabriolet is a horse-drawn carriage with two wheels.
Homunculus is a little man, or a manikin.
That's not all that's odd about the family, but you'll have to read the book to learn more. For some reason I always think of a shot glass when I see this word, but that's not right. A tompion is a plug or cover for one's rifle muzzle. Soldiers in the Civil War used tompions to keep the rain and snow out of their barrels. Don't feel bad if you didn't know this word, because my spell check program didn't know it either.