writer - novels

A SEARING LOVE STORY SET IN A HONG KONG IN TURMOIL

AUD: $29.95 OR Mail order

The Girl in the Golden House ISBN: 1-74076-033-6 Publisher: Pandanus Books, 2003 Paperback, 287pp, 218mm x 140mm Chris Wong is brought up to believe that if he studies hard, he will find his golden house and the right girl to share it with him. But his sexual awakening is complicated by the political realities of modern Hong Kong and traditional Chinese beliefs on love, marriage and career. After the Tiananmen Massacre, many Hong Kong men became ‘astronauts’, parking their families in Western countries to gain citizenship, while they continued working in Hong Kong. Many families snapped under that strain, Chris's included. His wife Emily sought solace in Australian arms while he was in Hong Kong, making money …

QUOTES FROM REVIEWS

... a powerful portrait of a man forced to reconcile the expectations of his family, his ancestors and the weight of Chinese tradition with the very different attitudes of the West, while trying, in the middle of things, to find love.
- The Age -

… His portrait of Hong Kong – its sights, smells, noise and confusion – is convincing, and his descriptions convey the beauty and the darker sides of the territory. … His treatment of Wong’s emotional struggle is as deft and moving as his exploration of Hong Kong in turmoil is bold.
- South China Morning Post -

… The book affected me greatly! It was a masterpiece and I find it has remained haunting me since I finished it - in a way few books do … I don’t know that anybody could ever match it! … the way the story was interwoven with real events and politics gave the book the edge. I have learnt so much about the world that you lived in, a world that I now, at least partly, know too. Thank you!
- Unsolicited email from Tim Fisher, Uni student -

excerpts
"He's only my Chinese Teacher"
Chris meets his old flame in court
Death in Tiananmen Square, new life in Hong Kong