Ally
This one is set in Penang, Malaysia, under British colonial rule in the early 20th century. The chapters alternate between Lesley's first person POV and the third person of her house guest, the (real-life) famous author W. Somerset Maugham. Eventually, Lesley begins to confess to him the story of an interesting era of her life, presuming he will use this as material for his next book. Through this, we explore complicated marriages, as well as the politics of the era, particularly those of Sun Yat Sen. The polite racism, misogyny, and homophobia felt apt for the era and setting.
I loved the descriptions of Penang, its people and culture. I enjoyed the characters and their various personalities. I liked the doors analogies and writing generally. And really, I devoured the whole story. But there was an undercurrent that a major revelation was coming and that ended up being a touch underwhelming for me.
This book did what I love for historical fiction books to do - it taught me about a time and place about which I knew little (or nothing).
This one is set in Penang, Malaysia, under British colonial rule in the early 20th century. The chapters alternate between Lesley's first person POV and the third person of her house guest, the (real-life) famous author W. Somerset Maugham. Eventually, Lesley begins to confess to him the story of an interesting era of her life, presuming he will use this as material for his next book. Through this, we explore complicated marriages, as well as the politics of the era, particularly those of Sun Yat Sen. The polite racism, misogyny, and homophobia felt apt for the era and setting.
I loved the descriptions of Penang, its people and culture. I enjoyed the characters and their various personalities. I liked the doors analogies and writing generally. And really, I devoured the whole story. But there was an undercurrent that a major revelation was coming and that ended up being a touch underwhelming for me.
This book did what I love for historical fiction books to do - it taught me about a time and place about which I knew little (or nothing).