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**many thanks to @bloomsburypublishing and @netgalley for an e-arc of The House of Doors in exchange for an honest review. This is released here in Canada October 17.**
This story centres around the real writer W. Somerset Maugham (Willie) as he is called in this novel around the time he travels to Penang (today part of Malaysia) in 1921 with his lover Gerald Hoxton. Willie has just learned he has lost money in the market, is struggling in deciding whether to end his marriage and generally has made some poor life decisions. He stays with a fictionalized couple Robert and Leslie Hamlyn, in Penang in his actual lifetime, and it is this stay that inspired the short story “The Letter” as it appears in one of his book The Casuarina Tree.
I was worried this would be over literary for this simple reader. (it is Longlisted for the Booker this year after all). No need to fear as I found this very readable, and I actually where I finished thinking it was “fine”, after a couple days realize I quite liked it. There are so many layers to this story - a love story, a trial, an important time in Chinese history is explored and hidden secrets. It certainly feels well researched, with writing that is graceful, poised and I would go so far as to say exquisite. This story has definitely lingered in my mind.

I’m very sorry to say I didn’t connect with the prose on any level, and by “I’m very sorry” I really do mean sincere sorrow, because my expression of regret here is not throat-clearing preamble to a bad review, even if it is now getting to the ‘bad review’ part, where I’m about to say the language in this book is floofy nonsense, where seventeen words are used instead of seven, or four, and where the romanticization of every gesture would be tolerable if only it weren’t expressed in the most superficially adequate way possible, and why can’t I just enjoy this illusion of good writing and good story? What is the matter with me? Why can’t I just relax and enjoy it? Argshdjckehsh

Dear Tan Twan Eng,

Can we have a heart-to-heart? You’re a phenomenal writer. THE HOUSE OF DOORS is a superbly-crafted tale that weaves in so many strands of both real and fictional colonial Malaya: Somerset (“Willie”) Maugham’s time there, Ethel Proudcock’s murder trial, the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen’s brief stay in Penang, and the fictional Lesley and Robert Hamlyn’s personal dramas that tie these all together. My attention was rapt throughout the story, from the lush and evocative details of the setting to the well-paced plot to the keen character studies.

THE HOUSE OF DOORS is the kind of book that I’d normally call a triumph, but I have to ask, a triumph for whom?

The novel focuses almost exclusively on white characters in an Asian setting; the two Asian men who feature in the story (even someone as legendary and interesting as Sun Yat Sen!) merely serve as one-dimensional foils to the main characters. Only the white characters are written as having rich interiority, complex psychological motivations, or full social lives.

If you felt inspired by Willie Maugham and wanted to tell a story about him, fine. Artists must follow the creative impulse. But why not also feature Asian characters who are every bit as robust and well-developed? Also, how did it escape your notice that the Asian women in your story are either long-suffering maids, mistresses, or wives to be cheated on? What a slap in the face.

By elevating the British colonists’ dramas while erasing the lives of the locals, it felt like you were using the gorgeous, sensual backdrop of Malaysia to tell white peoples’ stories. It felt like you were mining the setting (your homeland, I’ll admit, and not mine) for exotic details on the backs of the nameless, faceless Asian population. It felt like a re-colonization via literature.

If you wanted to tell the story of the colonizer (which has been told countless times), I would hope that you’d do so in a fresh way. Not all literature has to be radical, but if we’re going to adopt the colonizer’s mindset and give voice to her thoughts, then I’d argue that it should be done subversively. (Maybe ask R.F. Kuang for tips?)

Sure, you made it clear that your main characters are overtly racist and/or homophobic, but not in a way that implicates the reader or societal power structures. The reader can leave the story thinking “Wow, glad I’m not homophobic like Lesley or racist like Gerald” and never question the whole enterprise of imperialism. In fact, the reader leaves with stereotypes reinforced: that white people’s stories are the ones worth telling, even in Southeast Asia.

It's not your fault that writing white (especially famous white) characters gives this book more gravitas and selling power in the Western world. And it’s not your fault that the Booker Prize judges chose only this book for the longlist from all of Asia (Chetna Maroo’s little gem also gives Asian rep, but she and the characters are situated in the UK).

Your two other novels (both also longlisted or shortlisted for the Booker!) do feature Asian characters, and I don’t think there should be guardrails on what authors can and cannot write about. But I can only tell you, as an Asian woman, how this particular novel of yours made me feel. The best (albeit flawed) analogy I can come up with is that it’s like if you were a Black man – one of the few Black writers deemed “literary enough” by the Booker – and wrote GONE WITH THE WIND (without its problematic racism). An incredible work of literature? Yes. A betrayal of sorts? Also yes.

Like you, I am of Chinese descent. Like you, I have a professional degree, which has implications for how we’ve conformed to what’s required of us to succeed in this world. Like you, my natural tendency is to be strait-laced and easily co-opted by the powers that be. Ten years ago, I suspect I would not have read this novel with the same eye. I suspect I would have unconditionally loved it.

As you write your next novel over the next ten years, my hope is that you will step outside the academy, so to speak (which may be difficult since you were a judge for the 2023 International Booker Prize and rub elbows in those circles). Don’t write for anyone else: reviewers, critics, prize judges, or amateur bookstagrammers. Your novels are written with meticulous craft. I would love to see you get messy. Get radical. Loosen the tie. Question the authorities, our education, our history.

And if you don’t, well, I’m sure you’ll keep writing best-selling, critically acclaimed novels, so there is no real reason to listen to me other than I think you could write something dynamite, something so explosive that it will rock readers to their core and knock the wind out of them. I can’t wait to see it.

Your sister in solidarity,
Kristin

P.S. Thank you @bloomsburybooksus for the ARC!

I haven’t read Tan Twan Eng before, so I can’t really say if The House of Doors is typical of his work, but honestly, I just found it dull. Combining a few real life historical events — an in-its-day shocking murder trial, the in-exile revolutionary efforts of China’s Sun Yat Sen, Somerset Maugham’s world travels in search of subject matter for his next bestseller — and overlaying each strand with melodramatic love stories, I wasn’t moved or entertained by any of it. I can see that others really loved this, and it has caught the attention of literary juries, so I have no problem admitting that my experience was not typical; just not for me.

A story about family, love and storytelling. The different timelines didn’t work well in my opinion and I did not feel a connection to the characters.

This beautiful novel takes place in Penang and centers around novelist W. Somerset Maugham (Willie) when he stays with old friend Robert and his wife Lesley as he gathers stories for the book that will end up being The Casuarina Tree. The prose in this novel is breathtaking and the descriptions of Penang make the setting feel like a character. Most of the love stories in this book are underpinned with pain and I was left with a bittersweet ache at the end of my reading. I am still deciding if I want to read The Casuarina tree too or just enjoy the spell that The House of Doors has left on me. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
This is my third book from the Booker longlist this year and has been my favorite.
Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This was a slow burner for me. I love when a place feels like a character in the story as well as the people, and I definitely got a sense of Penang in the era. I knew nothing of Maugham and have never read his works, but that didn't diminish from the story being told and in all I thought it was an interesting way to frame the story.

There were some really creative ideas - and there was a degree of complexity in bringing the inspirations of the story together which I appreciated. I didn't know the gender of the author while reading, and actually assumed it was a woman. I thought he did a pretty remarkable job with Lesley, the main character, and the strongest in the book by far.

The ending came together beautifully for me, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I enjoyed learning where the title of the book came from. A solid book all around ... not mind blowing in any way.

Lesley Hamlyn lives with her husband Robert, and her two children in Penang, their relationship can be projected as a normal marriage but there are secrets between them. The couple receives as a guest Willie, a friend of Robert. Willie, or William Somerset Maugham, the English writer. After spending some time there, Leslye confides with him about the trial of her best friend Ethel Proudlock accused of murder, and also about Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary of the Taiping Rebellion.
The novel moves into different timelines from 1921 to 1947 set in Penang and South Africa, it is well written and the language used is according to the time and place. It addresses themes such as love affairs, hidden homosexuality, and race and it includes real events.
I think the author managed to cover different themes and real people and events and link them perfectly in this work of fiction.
If you know about William Somerset Maugham's works, you could find the novel fascinating and probably will connect more, for those who do not have background knowledge about his work like me, it can turn into a good introduction to the life and work of the author especially to The Letter, part of The Casuarina Tree, a collection of short stories which was written during his stay in Malay.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the e-ArC.

House of Doors was a great novel for the historical fiction reader. It really draws you into the world and you get wrapped up in the two main paths of the plot.

A beautifully-woven story blending a uniquely diverse and fascinating set of cultures and backgrounds. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in these characters' worlds.

Tan Twan Eng's House of Doors has been named to the Booker Prize Longlist recently, so I was eager to read an ARC. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this novel before its official release.

The House of Doors is an infinity mirror held up to an endless repeating interplay between fiction and nonfiction, history and chance. The novel is a mediation on how narrative can swing from objective truth to perception. The novel jumps between several time periods, but its main focus is a visit from the author W Somerset Maugham to Penang, Malaysia, in 1921 where he and his secretary-partner Gerald Haxton stay with his old friends Lesley and Robert Hamlyn. During the visit, Lesley shares with Maugham an intimate retelling of her deepest experiences in Penang in 1911, a story that incorporates a number of elements including a murder trial, several extramarital affairs, and the political work of Sun Yat Sen, who worked from Penang in the period leading up to the 1911 Chinese revolution. Maugham eventually uses elements of these stories in a later book of short stories “The Casuarina Tree.”

I found this a compelling, fascinating read. The intertwined narrative voices and time periods made the plot continually interesting and I enjoyed the way it dipped in and out of biographical details and fictional detail. The author reminds us that fiction writers are magpies and collect the material that works for their vision, often discarding elements that are less important to their structure and plot.

I have waited more than a decade for Tan Twan Eng's next book, but the wait was well worth it. In The House of Doors, set in the lush tropics of Penang in the first quarter of the twentieth century, Eng tells through the eyes of Lesley, who narrates alternating chapters, of her life and her marriage and focuses on the 1921 visit of Somerset Maugham, an old friend of her husband's Robert, and of her friend Ethel Proudfoot's 1910 (1911 in "real life") murder trial. That trial became the basis of Maugham's story "The Letter," which was later made into a movie starring Bette Davis. As it tells its stories of relationships, of marriages, and of the revolution in nearby China, The House of Doors focuses on fictions and truths, on what is real and what is altered by memory and circumstance. Eng's language elevates The House of Doors from what could have been an ordinary novel into a literary masterpiece. It deserves its place on the Booker short list and I recommend it highly.

"The House of Doors" by Tan Twan Eng is a literary masterpiece that effortlessly transports readers to a bygone era. Eng's prose paints languid images of muggy days in colonial Malaysia, setting a stark contrast to the hedonistic world of parties and clubs enjoyed by the English elite. The writing is remarkably evocative, skillfully capturing the essence of time and place, making it feel as though one is right there, amidst the sweltering heat and colonial tensions.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the book is its exploration of Somerset Maugham, shedding light on his dual role as both a medical doctor and a storyteller who skillfully wove the people he met into his narratives. This insight adds a layer of depth and fascination to the story. While the book may have a slow start, it is crucial to push through because the patient reader will be richly rewarded. Eng delves deep into the complexities of colonialism, identity, homosexuality, and love triangles, crafting a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is thought-provoking. "The House of Doors" is a powerful exploration of the intricacies of human relationships and the lasting impact of historical forces on personal lives, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a captivating and immersive literary experience.

I love to find a historical novel set in a part of the world which I know not much about. Penang has been at the crossroad of different cultures and influences for centuries. The story is told by a British woman Lesley and the famous writer Somerset Maugham who spent some time at her house. Secrets are being revealed in beautiful prose - I was hooked from page one.

In 1947 South Africa, Lesley Hamlyn is living alone on a farm when she receives a book: a collection of short stories by the writer W. Somerset Maugham. She knew Willie once; he was a friend of her husband’s and once stayed with them for a couple of weeks when they lived in Malaysia. But who could have sent this book? Dipping back into her memories of Willie’s visit, Lesley remembers the tension of that time: it overlapped with the murder trial of her best friend, Ethel Proudlock, who was accused of shooting a man in self-defence following an attempted rape. And Lesley also remembers what she told Willie, which inspired one of his stories.

This is a novel rich in description, set in the British colonial upper class, largely in Malaysia. Tan Twan Eng’s sentences are works of art, and despite not much happening in this story, the events are peeled back slowly, and with great suspense. The British characters on whom the novel is focused are hypocritical in how they engage with their transplanted homes, and it’s a subtle, cutting critique of the behaviour of the white settlers. I don’t think it was mind-blowing, but it was beautifully written, and I wouldn’t be upset to see it on the Booker shortlist.

If lush, evocative language is the most important factor in your enjoyment of a book, then you'll love The House of Doors. The writing is vivid and beautiful. But if you need to care about the characters and feel some emotion toward them, positive or negative, you may be disappointed. For a book in which passion plays a key role, there's a real lack of it in both the first-person narration by the protagonist Lesley and the third-person narration that gets inside the head of W. Somerset Maugham. For some reason the book reminded me of The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, which also left me cold (though I may have been too young when I read it to appreciate its nuances; if anything, this has spurred me to reread it, and to also reread Maugham's Of Human Bondage, which I loved). For me, The House of Doors was a gorgeously wrapped gift that, when opened, had nothing but tissue paper inside.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another outstanding book by the author of The Gift of Rain. In heartbreakingly beautiful prose, Eng recreates British colonial Penang of the 1920’s, an island off the coast of Malaya, and a personal and private chapter of the life of W.. Somerset Maugham.

3 stars. A decent and fast-enough read, and I was interested enough throughout my time with this book. At the end of the day, however, I don't think it breaks any new ground. Not a deal-breaker at all for me, but as I was getting to the closing pages, I realized, not much had really happened in the book, nor of lasting interest. I'd still recommend the book to various friends and library patrons, but with the above comments as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This is a beautifully written novel with lush prose and settings that most likely will surprise you. Reminiscent of The Great Gatsby in a way, it explores unexpected friendships and relationships in a nuanced way, given its interesting political and cultural landscape.

This novel opened several doors to me. I became acquainted with W. Somerset Maugham and Sun Yat Sen through the pages here. I learned, or was reminded, of how unfair life was for women in the early 1900’s, Men could move outside their marriages with no penalty, but women could be destroyed with those actions. It was an interesting, and often compelling, read. I feel it is not a book for every reader, yet I cannot identify what makes me feel this way. I will give it four stars, and see how often I do introduce it to our readers.