C Y N T H I A
M C V A Y

DESCRIPTION 

Under the Crucian Sun: A Memoir of Place, environmentalist and creative Cynthia McVay sets foot on the island of St. Croix in 2018 for the first time. She arrives with an adventurous partner and her heart set on purchasing and renovating an abandoned plantation house. Things do not go as planned. By the end of the week, she has fallen in love with a skeletal wreck of a home, with iconic stone walls and midcentury lines, allegedly built by German photographer Fritz Henle. With the help of dozens of islanders, Cynthia spends a year artfully coaxing this hidden gem back to life. Join Cynthia and her dog Dexter as they make a go of it—chasing crabs on Ha’ Penny, getting to know some of St. Croix’s charismatic and unusual personalities and beaches, snorkeling off the Frederiksted pier, floating in the blue waters of Sandy Point, standing in line at WAPA, making sense of ubiquitous breeze block, and dancing under the palms, at a gas station and in the grass at Cane Bay. This collection of stories, essays, poetry with over 150 photos offers a personal portrayal of a coy, complex and layered island. At its heart, Under the Crucian Sun is a love story, an ode to the island of St. Croix and its many peoples. Whether you call St. Croix home or you are a visitor, you will relate to Cynthia’s journey. In both image and word, she captures St. Croix’s unique magic and will make you smile.