Summary of Scorpion Orchid by Lloyd Fernando

The days of laughter ,of sharing ,of blunt comradeship-had they ever been? They been ,they had,Tok Said,he cried.We loved each other like brothers....
     Like children..
     No,it's not true.We believed.'

       Sabran,Santi,Guan Kheng and Peter - four young men united by the bonds of friendship,brought together in the uniquely multicultural society of Singapore.About graduate from university ,they are caught in political upheaveals of the 1950.These are uncertain times:still recovering from the Japanese Occupation,Singapore is now ready to fight for Independence from the British.
      As they watch their countrymen confront each other,tearing the country apart ,they face up to reality of their multicultural society .Against a backdrop of violence and hatred ,each embarks on an arduous journey of self discovery ,to reconcile deep -seated cultures and traditions with a new emerging sociery.In their quest for their true selves ,the bonds of their young manhood are sorely tired.
     Written in a dynamic and evocative style,Scorpion Orchid takes us back to those tumultuos days in early 50s when a nation was trying to assert its identity.

'Fernando's text energizes [Lord] Jim's story ,providing the "other words" that Jim lacked, and thereby paving the way for a more optimistic for intercultural contacts.' (-R.Kurtz in Conradiana)

Source : Fernando,Lloyd.Scorpion Orchid.Singapore,Kuala Lumpur ;Times BooksInternational,                                        1992.Print .