ncteixeira 's review for:

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

3.0

slow-paced

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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