The Polished Hoe

Winner of the 2003 Commonwealth Writers Prize and a #1 bestseller in Canada, The Polished Hoe is an epic symphony of Caribbean life. Layers of disturbing history slowly unfold though one woman's intimate, murderous confession. Mary-Mathilda, the fair-skinned mistress of a cruel plantation manager, tells her story in an exquisite, dancing vernacular. While it is the story of a life, a culture and a time gone by, its meditation on love, loss and sacrifice, and its explorations of lives distorted by the horrors of racism are utterly contemporary.