Summary

The novel opens with a poem representing resilience as a woman of color, "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton. Acevedo then includes a "Table of Principal Persons" that lists the main characters, their birth dates, and their supernatural "affinities." The narrative itself begins with a heading that declares, "Six Weeks Before the Wake." This section opens with an introduction of Flor, one of the older Marte sisters. Flor describes having the ability to predict death, since she was a child. One night while watching a documentary, Flor has a premonition that she will soon die. She begins to mull over the idea of planning a "living wake" for herself to say goodbye to her family. She tells her family of her plans the next day, but refuses to tell them why she is planning a wake for herself. She asks family...