Book of the Month October 2023
Quizlit’s Book of the Month October 2023 is The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng. From the author of The Gift of Rain comes a characteristically elegant and atmospheric meditation on creativity, empire and public facades as W. Somerset Maugham wrestles with writer’s block in 1920s Penang.
House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert’s, comes to stay.
Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley’s friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is – a man who has no choice but to mask his true self.
As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts – a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.
From Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors is a masterful novel of public morality and private truth a century ago. Based on real events it is a drama of love and betrayal under the shadow of Empire.
“The House of Doors is brilliantly observed and full of memorable characters. It is so well-written, everything so effortlessly dramatized, the narrative so well structured and paced, that this is a book that will mesmerize readers far into the future.” ―Colm Tóibín, author of THE MAGICIAN
“Outstanding . . . The House of Doors again displays [Eng’s] talent for atmospheric evocation of place and period . . . Beautifully detailed and encompassing the vagaries of Maugham’s life . . . The House of Doors is a finely accomplished piece of work.” ―Sunday Times (UK)
About Tan Twan Eng
Tan Twan Eng was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1972. He grew up in Penang and in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. A former intellectual property lawyer, he began writing his debut novel The Gift of Rain, while studying for a master’s degree in law at the University of Cape Town.
His first novel, The Gift of Rain, published in 2007, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His second novel, The Garden of Evening Mists, came out in 2012 and was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize and won the Man Asian Literary Prize, and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The novel was adapted into a film starring Hiroshi Abe, Lee Sin-je, John Hannah, David Oakes and Sylvia Chang, which was released in 2020.
He was one of the judges of the International Booker Prize 2023, the first Malaysian author to be appointed that role. His 2023 novel, The House of Doors, was longlisted for the Booker Prize
Other Tan Twan Eng Books
The Garden of Evening Mists
Teoh Yun Ling was seventeen years old when she first heard about Aritomo and the garden. But a war would come to Malaya, and a decade pass before she would travel to see him. A man of extraordinary skill and reputation, Aritomo was once the gardener for the Emperor of Japan, and now Yun Ling needs him. She needs him to help her build a memorial to her beloved sister, killed at the hands of the Japanese. She wants to learn everything Aritomo can teach her, and do her sister proud, but to do so she must also begin a journey into her own past, a past inextricably linked with the secrets of her troubled country.
A story of art, war, love and memory, The Garden of Evening Mists captures a dark moment in history with richness, power and incredible beauty.
The Gift of Rain
Penang, 1939. Sixteen-year-old Philip Hutton is a loner. Half English, half Chinese and feeling neither, he discovers a sense of belonging in an unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip shows his new friend around his adored island of Penang, and in return Endo trains him in the art and discipline of aikido. But such friendship comes at a terrible price.
Tan Twan Eng’s masterful debut novel is a haunting and unforgettable story of betrayal, barbaric cruelty, steadfast courage and enduring love.
Check out our recommendations for other great Books to Read from South East Asia
