The House of Doors
Ratings20
Average rating3.8
Probably really a 4.5. Descriptive language that transports you to another time and place. Nice interweaving of history and fiction. Opened quite a few wikipedia pages and dictionary entries, but worth it. This seems like it is very primed to become a movie for sure.
I really liked the ending, but I could never get into the book itself. I didn't connect with the protagonist.
If you've read any other reviews of The House of Doors, you've likely encountered every possible thought I could have to offer about this novel. In short, Tan Twan Eng's The House of Doors is beautifully composed. The story is tight. The characters are engaging. This is a wonderfully classic example of award-winning historical fiction.
And yet, it's too good of an example, because this novel eerily echoes so many others that were very notable thirty, forty, or more years ago. Certainly styles can come around again, but I don't personally see the overwrought but beautiful historical dramas making a comeback in exactly the same fashion. There's a very specific style here that feels tremendously out of date, particularly the details of wealthy British citizens facing trials in foreign locations. Yet, the fact that the novel is in part about an author who himself wrote these kinds of stories perhaps offers a reasonable and clever explanation for why the author embraced this style and nailed it so perfectly.
Don't get me wrong, The House of Doors is a great novel and I see it as a great example of what a sweeping historical novel can be. It just really doesn't do anything imaginative or original with the genre. As such, I highly recommend it to anyone who's still looking for more historical literature of ol'.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for feedback.
I was hesitant at first to enjoy this. I am not a fan of fiction books about real people. It helped that I know literally nothing of Maugham. This was a beautiful book. Tan Twan Eng knows how to write about loss, he knows how to write about love, and the unspoken agreements and tensions between people. Speaking of love, his love for Penang shines through the pages. I'm curious to know how this book would hold up for people who have read any Maugham, or know anything about him.