‘What begins as one woman’s symphony of magic and loss soon unravels, stone by stone, secret by secret until we’re left with nothing less than the brutal, turbulent, wild and haunted history of Jamaica itself . . . The past is uprooted, the present holds on by thread, and in the midst of it all is Miss Pauline, strong, conflicted, driven and remarkable‘ Marlon James, Booker Prize-winning author of MOON WITCH, SPIDER KING
‘One of the Caribbean’s finest writers . . . Her novels are building blocks of the current Caribbean canon and will be read for years to come‘ Monique Roffey, author of THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH
When the stones of her home begin to rattle and call out to her in the quiet of the night, Pauline Sinclair knows she will not live to see her 100th birthday.
From educating herself through stolen books to becoming one of the most successful ganja farmers in the area and raising a family, Pauline has lived a life on her own terms in Mason Hall, a rural Jamaican village.
Yet these whispering walls promise to topple the foundations of her security and exhume Pauline’s many buried secrets, including the mysterious disappearance of the man who came to claim the very land on which she built her home, stone by stone, from the ruins of a plantation.
Compelled to make peace before she dies, Pauline decides to leave the only home she has ever known on a final, desperate mission to uncover truths she could never have imagined . . .
Lyrical, funny, eerie and profound, A House for Miss Pauline tells a timely and nuanced tale, infused with the patois and natural beauty of Jamaica, which questions who owns the land on which our identities are forged.
‘History’s crimes unfurl in this magical story . . . McCaulay’s immaculate, breathtaking writing carries it with poise and conviction. This novel is poetry’ Lisa Allen-Agostini, author of THE BREAD THE DEVIL KNEAD
‘Where has Diana McCaulay been all my reading life? . . . A profound and beautiful novel of encounters with the past and atonements in the present‘ Julia Alvarez, author of THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES
‘One of the Caribbean’s finest writers . . . Her novels are building blocks of the current Caribbean canon and will be read for years to come‘ Monique Roffey, author of THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH
When the stones of her home begin to rattle and call out to her in the quiet of the night, Pauline Sinclair knows she will not live to see her 100th birthday.
From educating herself through stolen books to becoming one of the most successful ganja farmers in the area and raising a family, Pauline has lived a life on her own terms in Mason Hall, a rural Jamaican village.
Yet these whispering walls promise to topple the foundations of her security and exhume Pauline’s many buried secrets, including the mysterious disappearance of the man who came to claim the very land on which she built her home, stone by stone, from the ruins of a plantation.
Compelled to make peace before she dies, Pauline decides to leave the only home she has ever known on a final, desperate mission to uncover truths she could never have imagined . . .
Lyrical, funny, eerie and profound, A House for Miss Pauline tells a timely and nuanced tale, infused with the patois and natural beauty of Jamaica, which questions who owns the land on which our identities are forged.
‘History’s crimes unfurl in this magical story . . . McCaulay’s immaculate, breathtaking writing carries it with poise and conviction. This novel is poetry’ Lisa Allen-Agostini, author of THE BREAD THE DEVIL KNEAD
‘Where has Diana McCaulay been all my reading life? . . . A profound and beautiful novel of encounters with the past and atonements in the present‘ Julia Alvarez, author of THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES
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Reviews
History's crimes unfurl in this magical story - a story as Jamaican as the stones in the title - and Diana McCaulay's immaculate, breathtaking writing carries it with poise and conviction. This novel is poetry.
McCaulay weaves an intimate family story with the history of a community and reveals how past crimes - both private and collective - resonate into the present. Told with elegant prose and the musicality of Jamaican patwah, this immersive story intrigued me, gripped me and then thoroughly enchanted me. Diana McCaulay is a fantastic storyteller.
One of the Caribbean's finest writers . . . Her novels are building blocks of the current Caribbean canon and will be read for years to come.
Where has Diana McCaulay been all my reading life? . . . A profound and beautiful novel of encounters with the past and atonements in the present.
What begins as one woman's symphony of magic and loss soon unravels, stone by stone, secret by secret until we're left with nothing less than the brutal, turbulent, wild and haunted history of Jamaica itself. Miss Pauline is the dazzling heroine of our times, a cypher for uncovering the secrets her world keeps hidden even as she hides her own. The centre cannot hold, things fall apart, the past is uprooted, the present holds on by thread, and in the midst of it all is Miss Pauline, strong, conflicted, driven and remarkable.
Fragile and foul mouthed, Miss Pauline is my new heroine. McCaulay peels back layers to reveal the complexity of our grandmothers. She makes me want to find every Black elder and beg for their story. A House For Miss Pauline is a lush undergrowth of a book, gazing unblinkingly at Jamaica in all its beauty and beastliness. McCauley loves this land and her writing shows it.
As it makes its points about the complex legacy of colonialism and recaps a century of life in rural Jamaica through the eyes of one fierce and enterprising woman, the novel educates and entertains. Alive with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Jamaica.
McCaulay's masterful pacing keeps readers turning the pages until the very end. Everything about the novel is charming and engrossing . . . Richly drawn, powerful characters tug at your heartstrings, bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh out loud. Above it all, McCaulay's skillful, impeccable, lyrical prose captivates instantly; readers will revel in every glorious sentence.