THE POLISHED HOE is an epic symphony of Caribbean life. Layers of disturbing history slowly unfold through 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 and it is the story of a life, a culture, a time gone by. But its meditation on love, loss and sacrifice, and its explorations of lives distorted by the horrors of racism are utterly contemporary.