Part I: Runagate; Chapters 1-2 Summary

"Praisesong for the Widow" tells the story of a recently widowed woman's journey from her position living far from her Caribbean cultural identity and heritage to a place of having been reawakened by the very people from whom her ancestors came. She begins the story tightly reserved, living in all of the appearance of a good businessman's wife, and not recognizing herself in the mirror. Following a journey through vivid memories of her past as she cuts short a cruise with friends with the intention of flying home, she ends up squarely in the midst of a celebration of the culture from which she has spent her life distancing herself. The result is a story of redemption, cleansing and release from years of smothering damage, and reunion with the people responsible for all of the...