Set in a convent school on a jungle-covered hill on the outskirts of a Southeast Asian city, The Crocodile Fury follows the fortunes of three generations: the grandmother who was a bonded servant when the convent was a rich man’s mansion; the mother who works each day in the convent laundry; and the girl who tells the story. Filled with naughty convent girls, a ‘ghostchasing’ grandmother and stories of mysterious sea creatures and a Lizard Boy who grows into a fierce anti-colonial jungle fighter, Yahp’s novel was first published in Australia in 1992. ‘Serpentine and lithe…distinguished by Yahp’s mischievous wit and wondrously spirited storytelling’ (The Age), The Crocodile Fury is also ‘a novel of wonders... rich with magic, secrets, dragons, curses, ghosts and most importantly stories’(Australian Book Review). It won the Victorian Premier’s Prize for First Fiction and the NSW Ethnic Affairs Commission Award and has been translated into several languages.
‘A novel of wonders... rich with magic, secrets, dragons, curses, ghosts and most importantly, stories.’ – Australian Book Review
‘Yahp’s first novel is a knock-out.’ – Sydney Morning Herald
‘This rich, evocative and slowly unravelling tale has much of the flavour and style of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you like them, you’ll love Beth Yahp’s first novel.’ – Australian Women’s Forum
