Orealla

by Roy A.K. Heath

An educated native of Guyana is torn between his own life of servitude and the independent but anachronistic life of his aboriginal friend

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Roy Aubrey Kelvin Heath was from Guyana, where he attended the Central High School. He came to England at age 24 to read modern languages at London University. He was a teacher from 1959, and was called to the English Bar in 1964, and the Guyana Bar in 1973.

His first novel, published in 1974, was A Man Come Home, and his 1978 novel, The Murderer won the Guardian Fiction Prize. The Shadow Bride (1988) made the Booker Prize shortlist, Kirkus Review commenting that, "It's hard to believe it didn't win."

Heath's writings were widely acclaimed, Arnon Adams calling him "truly one of the most brilliant story tellers ever"; Salman Rushdie described him as "a beautiful writer"; and Edward Blishen as "simply one of the most astonishingly good novelists of our time."

Heath died in London at the age of 81.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1987 notebook: good but not as good as 'The Murderer', although the last fifty pages were much better.

[Sam1970]

Still tyring to understand his style of writing. Learnt nothing from this book.