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deedireads's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I didn’t go into The House of Doors with any expectations outside of those that go with its Booker Prize nomination, and yet I still found myself pleasantly surprised. It had a lot of momentum — in, fact, I’d even go so far as to call it much plottier than most Booker books. That’s not a bad thing, by the way. I was invested and really enjoyed it.
The coolest part about this book is that it’s sort of meta–historical fiction. (William) Somerset Maugham, a famous author in the early 1900s, wrote a collection called The Casuarina Tree, which contained a story called “The Letter.” That story was based on real events. This book fictionalizes Maugham’s trip to Penang, where a friend told him about the events that eventually made it into “The Letter.” And in this book, The Casuarina Tree and “The Letter” both also eventually get published.
And yet that’s not even the main plot. The story is told across three timelines, with plenty of flashback as the main character confesses a secret personal history to Maugham. I don’t want to tell you too much about it because the joy is in the discovery, but Eng gives us much to think about when it comes to secrets, fidelity, marriage, gender roles, and what it means to live a good life full of love.
The writing is perhaps a bit more flowery than some people will like, but I enjoyed it. The setting really came to life, and the story was gripping. Glad I read it!
The coolest part about this book is that it’s sort of meta–historical fiction. (William) Somerset Maugham, a famous author in the early 1900s, wrote a collection called The Casuarina Tree, which contained a story called “The Letter.” That story was based on real events. This book fictionalizes Maugham’s trip to Penang, where a friend told him about the events that eventually made it into “The Letter.” And in this book, The Casuarina Tree and “The Letter” both also eventually get published.
And yet that’s not even the main plot. The story is told across three timelines, with plenty of flashback as the main character confesses a secret personal history to Maugham. I don’t want to tell you too much about it because the joy is in the discovery, but Eng gives us much to think about when it comes to secrets, fidelity, marriage, gender roles, and what it means to live a good life full of love.
The writing is perhaps a bit more flowery than some people will like, but I enjoyed it. The setting really came to life, and the story was gripping. Glad I read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Infidelity
Moderate: Racism, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Rape and Colonisation
rieviolet's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The novel is not bad but, like the other book by Tan Twan Eng I read (The Garden of Evening Mists), it didn't left a particularly strong impression on me.
The writing style is good but at times it gets a bit too much overwritten and descriptive for my personal taste, and that was an issue I had with his previous book too. It's not that I don't appreciate a nice metaphor or simile from time to time, but here there is definitely an overabundance of them.
The setting and the historical background are really interesting but I struggled a lot with the characters. It's not just that they were (almost all) quite unlikeable, I also found it difficult to connect with them, they felt distant and a bit flat. By the end, I didn't care much to learn more about them and about what their fate would be, I was more interested in getting a resolution for the plot concerning the trial/murder mystery.
I've heard from another reviewer that it felt a bit like this book lacked a clear centre onto which the reader could focus, and I completely agree. There is a lot going on (multiple story threads plus a double POV), but in the end I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from it.
The writing style is good but at times it gets a bit too much overwritten and descriptive for my personal taste, and that was an issue I had with his previous book too. It's not that I don't appreciate a nice metaphor or simile from time to time, but here there is definitely an overabundance of them.
The setting and the historical background are really interesting but I struggled a lot with the characters. It's not just that they were (almost all) quite unlikeable, I also found it difficult to connect with them, they felt distant and a bit flat. By the end, I didn't care much to learn more about them and about what their fate would be, I was more interested in getting a resolution for the plot concerning the trial/murder mystery.
I've heard from another reviewer that it felt a bit like this book lacked a clear centre onto which the reader could focus, and I completely agree. There is a lot going on (multiple story threads plus a double POV), but in the end I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Racism, Fatphobia, Gun violence, War, Sexual assault, and Chronic illness
Minor: Confinement, Alcoholism, Classism, Blood, Rape, Cursing, Suicide, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Slavery, Vomit, Medical content, and Gore
rei_reads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Xenophobia, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Misogyny
geraldinerowe's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A thoroughly engaging story of morality, both of the individual and of the time. There's infidelity, racism, colonialism, classism, homophobia, hypocrisy and more, all loosely based around real events. I loved this book, but it loses half a mark for some jarringly flowery language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Racism, Classism, Murder, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Abandonment
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, and Gun violence
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The House of Doors is a rich multi-layered novel with multiple interwoven threads. Most of the novel is set in the Penang, part of the Straits Settlements, then a British colony and now part of Malaysia, in the 1920s. One of my favourite aspects of the novel was how transportative it was. I felt totally immersed in the Penang of the 1920s - the landscape, the sights and sounds, and most especially the workings of the colonial expat community.
The action really begins with the novelist W Somerset Maugham visiting Robert Hamlyn, an old school friend, and his wife Lesley and from there unspools in several equally intriguing directions. One key thread involves Maugham himself, his sham marriage, his ill-health, relationship with his male secretary, a major financial crisis which falls him, and his desperate need to produce a new book. Another key thread is the story Lesley tells him about her friend Ethel Proudfoot, who was accused of murder after shooting a man she claimed tried to rape her. The courtroom scenes made for compelling reading, especially when I learnt that this was a real case. Another key strand involves Sun Yat Sen’s arrival in Penang, his efforts to drum up support, particular financial, for his plans to overthrow the Chinese emperor and Lesley ‘s involvement in the cause. There is all sorts of forbidden love - love that defied marital bounds, racial boundaries, and accepted gender based sexuality - love that highlights the gaps between public and private selves. The story also showed the relative powerlessness of women. Lesley is expected to bow to the whims of her husband, while the twist in Ethel’s case is shocking and clearly highlights female disempowerment. Tying much of this together was the theme of memory and storytelling - whose memories can we trust and who has the right to tell our stories, questions that are still very relevant today.
The action really begins with the novelist W Somerset Maugham visiting Robert Hamlyn, an old school friend, and his wife Lesley and from there unspools in several equally intriguing directions. One key thread involves Maugham himself, his sham marriage, his ill-health, relationship with his male secretary, a major financial crisis which falls him, and his desperate need to produce a new book. Another key thread is the story Lesley tells him about her friend Ethel Proudfoot, who was accused of murder after shooting a man she claimed tried to rape her. The courtroom scenes made for compelling reading, especially when I learnt that this was a real case. Another key strand involves Sun Yat Sen’s arrival in Penang, his efforts to drum up support, particular financial, for his plans to overthrow the Chinese emperor and Lesley ‘s involvement in the cause. There is all sorts of forbidden love - love that defied marital bounds, racial boundaries, and accepted gender based sexuality - love that highlights the gaps between public and private selves. The story also showed the relative powerlessness of women. Lesley is expected to bow to the whims of her husband, while the twist in Ethel’s case is shocking and clearly highlights female disempowerment. Tying much of this together was the theme of memory and storytelling - whose memories can we trust and who has the right to tell our stories, questions that are still very relevant today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Gun violence, and Homophobia
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate for a copy of this book.
In 1920s Pengang, Straits Settlements (modern day Malaysia), lawyer, Robert Hamilton's friend, writer Willie Somerset Maugham comes to stay. Willie and Robert's wife Lesley confide in each other.
Unfortunately the writing style just wasn't for me, so I just couldn't engage with this book, therefore I found what would have otherwise been an otherwise great story dull and boring.
It dealt with some interesting topics and parts of Asian history, so I was disappointed that this book wasn't for me, but I'm sure many others will love it.
In 1920s Pengang, Straits Settlements (modern day Malaysia), lawyer, Robert Hamilton's friend, writer Willie Somerset Maugham comes to stay. Willie and Robert's wife Lesley confide in each other.
Unfortunately the writing style just wasn't for me, so I just couldn't engage with this book, therefore I found what would have otherwise been an otherwise great story dull and boring.
It dealt with some interesting topics and parts of Asian history, so I was disappointed that this book wasn't for me, but I'm sure many others will love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Rape, Murder, Colonisation, Gun violence, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: War
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