Author(s): Austin Clarke

General

Winner, 2003 Commonwealth Writers Prize. A mesmerising novel of love, freedom, and retribution set in the Caribbean.

When Mary-Mathilda, one of the most respected women on the colonised island of Bimshire (also known as Barbados), calls the police to confess to a crime, the result is a shattering all-night vigil. She claims the crime is against Mr Belfeels, the powerful manager of the sugar plantation that dominates the villagers' lives and for whom she has worked for more than 30 years as a field labourer, kitchen help, and maid. She was also Mr Belfeels's mistress, kept in good financial status in the Great House of the plantation, and the mother of his only son, Wilberforce, a successful doctor who, after living abroad, returns to the island.

Set in the period following World War II, The Polished Hoe unravels over the course of 24 hours but spans the lifetime of one woman and the collective experience of a society in the grip of slavery. This remarkable novel - winner of the 2002 Giller Prize, co-winner of the Trillium Book Award 2003, and a bestseller in Canada - evokes the power of memory and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. First published 2002.