My First Dive Into SEA Literature: Harmony Heights

A High-End Condominium And A Glimpse Into Elite Malaysian Society

Harmony Heights by Ong Chin Huat

Hello!!!

This is Joyie and welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books!

This week I started reading Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. The week's been quite hectic and the more stressed I get, the more I read. So, I’ve really been reading like my life depends on it, and am currently at part four. Have you been reading anything this week?

So, last week I mentioned I was reading Harmony Heights. I picked that book at a bookstore a few weeks ago. The cover looked nice, so I checked it out. I’d never heard of the book or the writer, Ong Chin Huat. But reading the description, I saw it’s based in Malaysia, which made me realise I've never read any Southeast Asian literature. so I bought it.

The book is set in Harmony Heights, a high-end condominium in urban Malaysia, home to a group of affluent residents. Among these residents, there are various family dynamics, various professions, and various levels of affluence. Yet, they all share one common trait: a meticulously curated persona of perfection, while their true, less-perfect selves, remain behind closed doors. Into this setting, arrives a bi-racial lesbian couple–one Australian, one Malaysian–with their adopted Bangladeshi daughter.

The book takes an approach to show how this unconventional family makes their place in a community obsessed with conformity and social norms. But I don’t think that's very well-executed. In terms of the narrative flow, the book was a bumpy ride, especially when it comes to the conclusion. It tries to juggle so many characters and individual storylines that I was wondering throughout how it was gonna tie everything together into a conclusion. And it didn’t–which was hardly a surprise.

Also, I felt like the book was taking a very safe, lukewarm approach towards addressing the class-difference between the wealthy residents of Harmony Heights, and the poorer service workers employed by these rich residents. I personally would have liked a stronger stance on that, but that might be just me.

However, I’m not here to hate, so I’ll share what I liked about the book. I’ve never known anything about Malaysia, except where it is on the map. This book kind of gave me at least a superficial idea of what the country is like, culturally, ethnically, societally. That to me was the most fun part.

Also, some of the character dynamics were very well written in my opinion. Like a retired elderly lady living with her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. A father with whom she has shared a strained relationship, but who now is dependent entirely on her for caregiving. Also, a friendship or romance that develops between an immigrant domestic worker at one of the rich families, and a service worker at Harmony Heights. It was very moving and wholesome.

Overall, I think the books had good individual elements which could have been tied together much more cohesively, but I know that’s a lot easier said than done. So, while it might not have become a new favourite of mine, I'm glad I read Harmony Heights.

What about you? Have you read any Harmony Heights? Do you have a favourite piece of Malaysian literature? I'd love to know!!!

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That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Until then,

Joyie 🌻