Often referred to as a prose-poem, this book reflects an internal sociological perspective. At first, readers are outsiders, but soon they are invited into the narrative that is best understood in its totality and in the context of Jamaican history. The author breaks up the life story of Nellie, the primary narrator, into nonchronological vignettes that explore dimensions of the difficulties of the protagonist's childhood, sexuality, and search for identity under the circumstances of Jamaica's tumultuous past and colonial legacy.--Publisher's description.