Chronically Dolores: Chapters 22–24

by Maya Van Wagenen
This novel, inspired by the author's real life, follows Dolores Mendoza as she struggles with a chronic illness and discovers the power of unexpected friendship.

Here are links to our lists for the book:
Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–12, Chapters 13–15, Chapters 16–18, Chapters 19–21, Chapters 22–24, Chapter 25–Epilogue
20 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. upholstery
    covering on a piece of furniture
    My mother gripped the fraying upholstery.
  2. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
    I opened the laptop again and had a single intrusive thought.
  3. clinical
    detached or unemotional
    I clicked on the pages that these searches had offered Terpsichore, some of them written to encourage, but most of them cold, clinical, and unhelpful.
  4. integral
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    Autism was not separate from who she was; it was an integral part of her identity.
  5. catheter
    a thin flexible tube inserted into the body
    No, instead, I discovered that “noninvasive” treatment involved medications with dangerous-sounding side effects or administering lidocaine via catheter or regularly seeing a physical therapist to release the tight muscles of the pelvic floor via the vagina.
  6. penitence
    remorse for your past conduct
    You know, I was reading the spooky saints book, and it talked about penitence.
  7. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
    Priest: But is it your goal to emulate medieval Christians, in sackcloth and ashes?
  8. rectory
    housing that a church provides for its clergy
    To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen any sackcloth in the rectory supply closet.
  9. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
    It was presumptuous to think she would still see me as a friend.
  10. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    This should have been the canary in the coal mine, the warning sign of our family’s imminent implosion, but it didn’t feel that way at the time.
  11. tinny
    thin, metallic, and displeasing in sound
    My father’s voice was tinny, metallic.
  12. palpitation
    a rapid and irregular heart beat
    There was a silence that felt like a heart palpitation.
  13. interloper
    someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another
    Johann had been silent for a while, perhaps sensing that he was a bit of an interloper in this accidental exploration of family lore.
  14. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
    I found the answer to my family’s most enigmatic riddle.
  15. inebriated
    stupefied or excited by a chemical substance
    St. Francis’s glassy, downcast eyes watched me storm out of the church with an inebriated apathy.
  16. condescend
    behave in a patronizing manner
    Her voice somehow seemed to both plead and condescend.
  17. indictment
    an accusation of wrongdoing
    I ignored my aunt’s indictment and hurried down the sidewalk toward the print shop, shoving my hands into my pockets, the holy dirt clinging to the soles of my shoes.
  18. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    With one guttural scream, she ran out onto the landing and threw her whole weight against the railing.
  19. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    Mom was clinging to the flaking green metal railing like a rabid koala while Dad threw increasingly stupid platitudes at her.
  20. sternum
    the breastbone
    My hands started to shake, and my chest felt how it had when Terpsichore dug her knuckles into my sternum.
Created on Fri Mar 14 05:55:41 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Mar 17 09:17:16 EDT 2025)

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