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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
medium-paced
For some unknown reason, I sobbed, overwhelmed with emotion as I leafed over the last few pages of Tan Twan Eng's latest novel The House of Doors as the protagonist Lesley Hamlyn recounts the stories of her life; the days she spends with her late husband, Robert Hamlyn; her fateful encounter with Sun Yat-Sen in Penang in 1910; as well as the time she hosted the writer [a:W. Somerset Maugham|4176632|W. Somerset Maugham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1414096390p2/4176632.jpg] at her house, The Cassowary House, in Penang. All were told in hindsight in 1947 as she sipper her tea at her house in Doornfontein, South Africa, where she lives with Robert since 1922.
Willie, as W. Somerset Maugham is referred to throughout the story, visits the house with his secretary-cum-lover, Gerald Haxton, in 1921. It's important to understand that at that time, homesexual activities were considered a crime and are punishable by imprisonment. That fact about the relationship of her guests is immediately apparent to Lesley Hamlyn. During his brief stay in the Federated Malay States, Willie documented the Ethel Proudlock's case in his short story The Letter, maintaining the plot, albeit altering the names of the people involved in the affair. The case happened in 1911, yet in keeping with the occasion of Sun Yat-Sen's stay in Penang, Tan Twan Eng moved the trial to 1910 in the story, instead of the original 1911 (by that time, Xinhai Revolution was already at its critical stage in China).
I see the whole point of the story more as a feminist retelling of Ethel Proudlock's case (I'm not a Maugham's scholar, yet I couldn't help but noticing some traits of the historical Ethel are present in our memsahib, such as her history as an adulteress and her later move to South Africa). To me, Lesley seems like a Hokkien Chinese from Penang in soul, yet she is someone who is forced to wear the cloak of an angmoh as a result of being born to British parents. She also speaks Hokkien and Malay, and in her dealings, she feels more at ease with the locals rather than with her fellow angmoh.
In the fictional story, Lesley happens to befriend Ethel who'd confide to her about the truth behind the case, that is the victim of the shooting, William Steward, was her lover. In exchange for knowing the truth, Lesley promised Ethel not to tell a soul about the affair. During the subsequent episodes of the trial, Ethel makes continuous attempts to hide her dubious affair with Steward from the juries and the audience, effectively decreasing her chances of being acquitted. Ethel was found guilty and was sentenced to death, yet she was granted amnesty by the Sultan of Selangor.
Lesley, on her part, ends up conveying the whole stories to Willie. In her defence, she views that in telling Willie the story, she believes that Ethel will be remembered, making her case a lesson learned for the future generation of people, that for once, an unjust case befall upon a lady called Ethel Proudlock.
In a way, Lesley also makes a case about herself. Perhaps in real life, there is no historical Lesley at all. Yet we could not rule out the possibility that there was once an anonymous lady in the Straits Settlement whose name is forever lost to the annal of history, who contributed to the success of Sun Yat-Sen in carrying out his revolution in China, as well as inspired Willie Maugham to recover his position as a prominent writer (he was financially in ruin by the time he stayed in the Straits Settlement). Tan Twan Eng's latest novel is simply powerful, with balanced traits of characters. It's the first novel I read in 4 years that could move me to tears, although fact-wise as a work of historical fiction there are some questionable elements to it. Yet I could get why it was longlisted in the last year's Booker Prize.
Willie, as W. Somerset Maugham is referred to throughout the story, visits the house with his secretary-cum-lover, Gerald Haxton, in 1921. It's important to understand that at that time, homesexual activities were considered a crime and are punishable by imprisonment. That fact about the relationship of her guests is immediately apparent to Lesley Hamlyn. During his brief stay in the Federated Malay States, Willie documented the Ethel Proudlock's case in his short story The Letter, maintaining the plot, albeit altering the names of the people involved in the affair. The case happened in 1911, yet in keeping with the occasion of Sun Yat-Sen's stay in Penang, Tan Twan Eng moved the trial to 1910 in the story, instead of the original 1911 (by that time, Xinhai Revolution was already at its critical stage in China).
I see the whole point of the story more as a feminist retelling of Ethel Proudlock's case (I'm not a Maugham's scholar, yet I couldn't help but noticing some traits of the historical Ethel are present in our memsahib, such as her history as an adulteress and her later move to South Africa). To me, Lesley seems like a Hokkien Chinese from Penang in soul, yet she is someone who is forced to wear the cloak of an angmoh as a result of being born to British parents. She also speaks Hokkien and Malay, and in her dealings, she feels more at ease with the locals rather than with her fellow angmoh.
In the fictional story, Lesley happens to befriend Ethel who'd confide to her about the truth behind the case, that is the victim of the shooting, William Steward, was her lover. In exchange for knowing the truth, Lesley promised Ethel not to tell a soul about the affair. During the subsequent episodes of the trial, Ethel makes continuous attempts to hide her dubious affair with Steward from the juries and the audience, effectively decreasing her chances of being acquitted. Ethel was found guilty and was sentenced to death, yet she was granted amnesty by the Sultan of Selangor.
Lesley, on her part, ends up conveying the whole stories to Willie. In her defence, she views that in telling Willie the story, she believes that Ethel will be remembered, making her case a lesson learned for the future generation of people, that for once, an unjust case befall upon a lady called Ethel Proudlock.
In a way, Lesley also makes a case about herself. Perhaps in real life, there is no historical Lesley at all. Yet we could not rule out the possibility that there was once an anonymous lady in the Straits Settlement whose name is forever lost to the annal of history, who contributed to the success of Sun Yat-Sen in carrying out his revolution in China, as well as inspired Willie Maugham to recover his position as a prominent writer (he was financially in ruin by the time he stayed in the Straits Settlement). Tan Twan Eng's latest novel is simply powerful, with balanced traits of characters. It's the first novel I read in 4 years that could move me to tears, although fact-wise as a work of historical fiction there are some questionable elements to it. Yet I could get why it was longlisted in the last year's Booker Prize.
3.5 stars. 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.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Well, I have to agree that this book is beautifully written, and I would have rated it 5 stars if based on that.
But the storytelling did not work for me.
I didn’t think that the author was able to evoke the atmosphere of that time and place. And the writing felt too modern.
This is a work of fiction set in 1920’s, and W. Somerset Maugham, the writer, is one of the characters. I think the author took some liberties to imagine his way of thinking and acting. His characterization felt out of time.
Also, the development of the storyline wasn’t that engaging or interesting, and it was hard to feel any connection with any of the characters.
To me the story lacked an emotional depth.
With the number of adulterous affairs I would expect some heat, at least.
Anyways… this book was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize and lots of readers loved it, so I may be considered the outlier.
Hardcover (Bloomsbury Publishing): 320 pages
e-book (Kobo): 320 pages (default), 99k words
This was rather like V-8 juice: an agglomeration of things that should be good for you—probably they are—but whirred in a blender, they become an indistinguishable hodgepodge. Wouldn’t a platter of fresh vegetables, at their peak, be just as healthy and so much more satisfying? As it is, this felt like one cup of Somerset Maugham’s memoirs, a pint of Old Filth ( if you know, you know), a quart of Chinese history, a gallon of police procedural, and a generous serving of extra-marital affairs. It was beautifully seasoned—er, beautifully written—but still, it was a lot to put in a blender.
I just couldn't get into this one.