Family Lore

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to infertility, miscarriage, gang-related violence, postpartum depression, verbal abuse, alcohol addiction, and attempted sexual assault.

As Flor Marte muses on her dislike of autumn, the so-called “dying” season, she watches a documentary about a man holding a living wake for himself that her daughter, Anacaona (“Ona”), recommended. The idea sticks with Flor as she goes about her life in the following days. She ponders her gift to predict deaths through dreams of her teeth shattering. Having predicted her own death, she settles on holding a living wake for herself and recruits her family members to help.

In an interview with Ona, Flor explains that prior to her pregnancy, life felt like a disembodied experience because her dreams of death were a constant. However, growing new life (Ona) grounded her.

Matilde, the eldest of the Marte sisters, receives a call from sister Pastora—who says she saw Matilde’s husband, Rafa, with a pregnant woman at a CVS. Matilde recalls past calls about Rafa and his affairs, but this call is the first involving a pregnant mistress. Unable to answer Pastora, she remembers how she and Rafa met: He was singing, and she was