Where the Golden Oriole Sang

‘Where the Golden Oriole Sang’ is a novel set primarily on the rubber estates of Malaya in the 1950s, during the time of the Emergency, when the Chinese communists were fighting a brutal guerrilla war against the British and Malayan administration with the aim of bringing communism to Malaya. It is the story of Anna, now a prosperous woman living in Edinburgh, who, in trying to make sense of the traumas of her childhood, travels to the highlands of Scotland in the hope that the contents of an old tin box may throw light on her mother’s untimely death when Anna was just two years old. Anna’s quest for the truth reveals unfolding layers of dark secrets, passion and murders that shrouded her developing years, and answers to questions that have burdened her since she was a child. It is a book that tugs at the emotions while the reader is transported from rural villages of the Highlands of Scotland to the steamy jungles and rubber estates of a seldom seen Malaya.The story weaves around the characters of the beautiful, vibrant Eilidh, her intrepid husband Alex and the fiery Estelle, but it is through Anna the child that the reader discovers the repercussions of three fatal tragedies that dominate the narrative. Anna, as a grown woman, finally faces her nemesis in the Malay woman, Aminah, and at last is able to return to Malaysia after a prolonged exile. When Anna again meets the characters that knew her as a child, the reader will share the pathos as she reflects on her odyssey and at last is able to come to terms with the tragedies of the past.

Reviews of Where the Golden Oriole Sang

"Your observations about people, and what motivates them, are accurate to a frightening degree. You talk about, and use, real personal knowledge of the places and the mores of the time. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes." – RALB, AMAZON REVIEWS // "This book captivated me from the start! We are taken from a romantic and mysterious age gone by to the present day with real emotions – love, joy, heartbreak. From Malaya to Scotland and back we were transported with true feeling and Gael Harrison's magical ability to tell a good story." – MAB, AMAZON REVIEWS // "Gael Harrison's fascinating story evokes wonderful images of a way of life long gone. The narrative flows with wonderful descriptive passages and portrayals of people and places that come alive with the reading. You can almost hear the sounds, smell the fragrances, taste the food, feel the excitement of the Far East as this magical journey into the past sweeps you along. As the tale weaves between the East and the West, between the past and the present, you just don't want the story to end!" – JACK SULLIVAN, AMAZON REVIEWS