Lucy, a nineteen-year-old West Indian girl, escapes her mother and her island past to work in New York as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four young daughters. As she cares for them day by day, as the ring of her outward independence widens and she begins to unravel the mysteries of her own sexuality, Lucy comes to understand the love she feels for her mother, the love she feels for Mariah, and the longing ache she feels for her native land. Shot through with clear insights about class and sex and colour, written with Jamaica Kincaid's passionate, rich language, Lucy is a beautiful and moving novel.