*Winner of the 2025 CARICON FICTION PRIZE / Shortlisted for the 2025 ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE*

'The past is uprooted, the present holds on by thread, and in the midst of it all is Miss Pauline, strong, conflicted, driven and remarkable.' Marlon James, Booker Prize-winning author of Moon Witch, Spider King

'Delightful and big-hearted . . . It kept me turning pages deep into the night, and left me full of admiration at the end.' Guardian

'One of the Caribbean's finest writers.' Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch

When the stones of her home begin to rattle and call out to her in the quiet of the night, Pauline Sinclair knows she will not live to see her 100th birthday.

From educating herself through stolen books to becoming one of the most successful ganja farmers in the area and raising a family, Pauline has lived a life on her own terms in Mason Hall, a rural Jamaican village.

Yet these whispering walls promise to topple the foundations of her security and exhume Pauline's many buried secrets, including the mysterious disappearance of the man who came to claim the very land on which she built her home, stone by stone, from the ruins of a plantation.

Compelled to make peace before she dies, Pauline decides to leave the only home she has ever known on a final, desperate mission to uncover truths she could never have imagined . . .

'History's crimes unfurl in this magical story . . . McCaulay's immaculate, breathtaking writing carries it with poise and conviction.' Lisa Allen-Agostini, author of The Bread the Devil Knead

'A vivid story of inheritance and belonging, informed by the author's own fascinating family history.' Daily Mail

"Delightful and big-hearted . . . It kept me turning pages deep into the night, and left me full of admiration at the end. McCaulay, a born-and-bred Jamaican, wrestles with the big stuff - difficult questions about inheritance, guilt and blame - and she does it bravely, and with honesty." - Guardian

"Exudes a raw authenticity . . . Miss Pauline, like Jamaica and ultimately A House for Miss Pauline itself, is a brutal beauty forged in decades of adversity . . . Subtle and detailed, darkly humorous, and at times eerie and sinister." - The New York Review of Books

"A vivid story of inheritance and belonging, informed by the author's own fascinating family history." - Daily Mail

"Diana McCaulay, an award-winning Jamaican writer and environmental activist, possesses a Steinbeck-like social awareness of injustice and prejudice, and her prose flows with a poetic rhythm that makes it profoundly pleasing to read . . . A House for Miss Pauline is a beautiful, poetic novel that makes me want to explore McCaulay's entire back catalogue." - Irish Times

"As it makes its points about the complex legacy of colonialism and recaps a century of life in rural Jamaica through the eyes of one fierce and enterprising woman, the novel educates and entertains. Alive with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Jamaica." - Kirkus

"McCaulay's masterful pacing keeps readers turning the pages until the very end. Everything about the novel is charming and engrossing . . . Richly drawn, powerful characters tug at your heartstrings, bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh out loud. Above it all, McCaulay's skillful, impeccable, lyrical prose captivates instantly; readers will revel in every glorious sentence." - Booklist

"Grips you from the start . . . An epic read. One that will reshape our own thoughts about family, truth and acceptance." - Caribbean Today

"[A House for Miss Pauline] takes you thousands of miles to places that you would never have dreamed of . . . It's a beautiful, beautiful book." - Five Books