Autobiography of My Mother
"My mother died at the moment I was born, and so for my whole life  there was nothing standing between myself and eternity," writes Jamaica Kincaid in  this disturbing, compelling novel set on the island of Dominica. Born to a doomed Carib  woman and a Scottish African policeman of increasing swagger and wealth, narrator  Xuela spends a lifetime unanchored by family or love. She disdains the web of small and  big lies that link others, allowing only pungent, earthy sensuality--a mix of blood and dirt  and sex--to move her. Even answering its siren call, though, Xuela never loses sight of  the sharp loss that launched her into the world and the doors through which she will take  her leave.