The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke
A novel about an elderly woman who confesses to killing a plantation owner
When an elderly Bimshire village woman calls the police to confess to a murder, the result is a shattering all-night vigil that brings together elements of the African diaspora in one epic sweep. Set on the post-colonial West Indian island of Bimshire in 1952, The Polished Hoe unravels over the course of 24 hours, but spans the lifetime of one woman and the collective experience of a society informed by slavery. (From Dundurn)
The Polished Hoewon the 2002Giller Prize, the 2003 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for best book overall and the 2003 Trillium Book Award.
- 24 Canadian books to get the historical fiction fan this holiday season
- 20th anniversary edition of Austin Clarke's Giller Prize-winningThe Polished Hoecoming in fall 2022
Austin Clarke,who died in 2016, was one of Canada's foremost authors. His work included 11 novels, several short story collections, two collections of poetry and multiple memoirs including'Membering, published a year before his death.
From the book
When there is a full moon, people behave strange. But tonight, with no moon at all, all my behaviour was still strange, granted.
Tonight the thirteenth, a Sunday, in spite of no moon, the act that I committed, however the people in the Island wish to label it, is not a act, or behaviour of a woman ruled by a full moon; nor of a woman who chooses darkness over light, to move in, or to hide her act in.
My footprints that you say might be evidence, was, in the darkness, strong footprints, if not stronger than temperriment itself. And my act went along with that. I was determined. And deliberate. Because I knew what my cause was. And I had a cause.
From The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke 2002. Published by Dundurn.
Interviews with Austin Clarke
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