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Prologue-Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use, sexual content, and emotional abuse.
Part 1: “The Calm”
Prologue Summary
Arnold Hightower texts Janelle Cross, his ex-girlfriend, to tell her that he is marrying her sister. The invitation follows on a subsequent page, advertising a destination wedding at a resort in Tulum, Mexico.
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “Janelle”
Janelle packs for her sister, Amerie’s, wedding. Janelle is exasperated during a call with her mother, as she cannot convince her that she is happy about the wedding: Her mother is convinced that Janelle’s relationship to the groom makes her job as maid of honor emotionally wrenching. Janelle declares to herself, “[T]he wedding hasn’t even started yet and I’m already exhausted” (2). Her best friend, Evie, arrives early. The two are part of a solid quartet of friends that includes Amerie and their other best friend, Dani. Evie and Janelle attended Howard University together and were also longtime roommates, so their bond is particularly close. Janelle is hoping that the trip will be relaxing but dreads her sister’s intense approach to wedding planning. Janelle rarely takes vacations given the stress of her work as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
At the airport, Evie and Janelle immediately find two of Arnold’s groomsmen, Micah and Christian. Micah is friendly with both of them, but Evie and Christian banter with an adversarial edge.
