Jamaica Kincaid's new novel is narrated by a seventy-year old West Indian woman looking back on her life and evoking the relationships that have given it meaning. Her themes are sex, human relations, and the interplay of power and powerlessness - and how easy it is to fall from one into the other. Her story, which begins at the height of imperialism and ends in the twilight of colonialism, abounds in the vivid characters, strong situations and pyrotechnic writing that make Jamaica Kincaid one of our most compelling novelists.