A review by starrysteph
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A slow-moving but quietly mesmerizing story inspired by real events.

We follow Willie Somerset Maugham, a famous writer spending a short time in Penang and in desperate need of material for his next book. Willie and his “secretary” Gerald stay with the Hamlyns at Cassowary house, and he soon discovers that Lesley Hamlyn has a fascinating history alongside both Chinese revolutionaries and the murder trial of her former best friend. The novel then hops between Lesley’s storytelling to Willie in 1921, the events of 1910 told through Lesley’s eyes, and Lesley’s reflection on all from South Africa in 1947.

This is not a story that’s bursting with plot and action and tension. In fact, not much happens at all. But the prose is captivating - and the setting of Penang is so lyrically brought to life - that I felt as though I was truly there. 

It’s a story of antsy colonizers, of repression of desire and passion and sexuality (there are several gay characters - and also a lot of unhappy marriages and infidelity), of complicated racial and gender dynamics, and of power and sparks of revolution. 

Lesley is painfully restrained and very narrowly focused, and this sometimes made it difficult to truly connect with or root for her. I was quite interested in the supporting characters in her life, but they were shrunk down within her retellings. 

Tan Twan Eng has cleverly inserted truths about Maugham – I had to do some light digging on his real history to uncover just a few of what I’m sure are countless easter eggs. The story of Ethel Proudlock is true as well, and the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen did indeed stay in Penang for some time (though these two events were squished together). There are definitely some interesting parallels between Eng and Maugham. 

Overall, I had a nice time with this one, but it had more to do with the lovely prose than with the plot or execution of the themes. 

CW: murder, gun violence, death, infidelity, colonization, homophobia, racism & racial slurs, rape, xenophobia, war

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)