A mesmerising novel of love, freedom, and retribution set in the Caribbean. It is 1952 on the Caribbean island of Bimshire. Mary-Mathilda - mistress of plantation manager Mr Bellfeels and mother of his only son - summons the police to confess to a murder. Told over a single night, her story recounts a lifetime of sacrifice within a society drenched in racist oppression, climaxing in a brutal revenge. The Polished Hoe is the winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Canada?Giller Prize and Ontario?Trillium Book Award.