political-and-spiritual-power

The chapter introduces Acilde, a young queer woman working as a maid for Esther Escudero, a santera with political influence. It depicts a dystopian Caribbean setting marked by harsh border control and surveillance, where Haitians fleeing quarantine are lethally targeted by robotic collectors. Acilde's backstory reveals her struggles with gender identity, poverty, and survival sex work, while her new job offers a fragile hope for a better future through culinary training.