Miss Pauline is nearly one hundred years old, but as the date of her birthday approaches she begins to hear the stones of her house shifting in the night, begging for her attention. She knows she needs to put her house in order, literally and metaphorically or she feels she won't make one hundred. The past and the future are woven deftly together in the strands of this story about slavery, emancipation and blood and what that means for a sense of home. A brilliantly written slice of history, held taut by a deftly plotted, magical realist story, with an emphasis on the real.

What a special novel

A story about a 100 y ear old woman looking back on her life and making peace, chasing ghosts and looking at the world around her.


There is culture and patois in the story and it weaves its magic through every page. What a treasure to behold! The author mentions the reasons behind her writing the story at the end and it was really interesting her personal link to the stories within.

Can't wait to see what others think.

This is the story of Miss Pauline Sinclair who is approaching her 100th birthday when the stones and history of her house begin to speak to her in the middle of the night. But what are they trying to tell her and what must she do to find peace.The characters in this book are just wonderful particularly the feisty foul mouthed Miss Pauline and I just loved her relationship with Lamont, the teenager dragging her into the modern world as he helps her unravel some of her secrets. I had not read any novels by this author before but I loved the rural Jamaican that she painted which felt so real I could almost feel the heat and taste the food. A novel of a long life and history but also of the land and belonging and ownership. I thoroughly recommend this novel and will certainly be reading more of this authors backlist now I have discovered her. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for a honest review.

In this tender wise book we meet 99 year old Miss Pauline, cussing, straight talking, iron strong, full of courage, wearing a cutlass under her skirt, who now lives alone in her house, built with her baby father Clive and his friends, from stones, repurposed from a former plantation house, built by enslaved people. But Miss Pauline is unraveling and conflicted.

Jamaican author Diana McCaulay thoughtfully explores the brutal, haunted history of slavery, grappling with what this history and it's legacy has meant for modern Jamaicans. She looks at architecture and buildings as repositories for human stories. I so enjoyed the rhythm, richness and integrity of Miss Pauline's voice as she observes and unfolds her life and secrets for us the reader. She reminded me of my mother in law which I found very moving. This is a beautiful, deep book that I am still thinking about days after finishing.