laurieb9 's review for:

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

4.0

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Sometimes I put books on hold and they come in and I can’t remember why I did it. That’s what happened with “The House of Doors”. It must have been because it was on the Booker Prize List for 2023. Oh but I’m so glad I read it! I loved it! Set in Penang (Malaysia) in 1910 and 1920 this book focuses on real events that happened; between the murder of a man by his married lover, the exile of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and the visit of writer W. Somerset Maugham and his lover Gerald to the region. Tan Twan Eng writes beautifully and had me hooked from the beginning with his fascinating tale of love, colonialism, revolution, secrets and redemption. Malaysia is a fascinating country. I had the pleasure of visiting in 2007, and was struck by the meeting of so many different cultures. This book furthered my fascination and made me want to know more. A cleverly crafted tale it is one of those books that makes me want to immediately go out and read more about the subjects of the book and the history and now I need to read W. Somerset Maugham. A wonderful book, beautifully told!