Exile isn't always physical. In this saga of love, courage, and brokenness, the author reflects on the journey of a suddenly impoverished family as they struggle to survive migration to a cold, uncaring third-world capital. Trying desperately to keep body and soul together, its members are torn apart by their inner exiles: A woman bearing child after child in silent submission to tradition. Children bewildered and detached by constant upheaval. A father's secret life and the bitter ostracism that turns him into a lonely stranger under the family roof. In Flowers for María Sucel, love is a fragile yet enduring thing that blooms when least expected.