The House of Doors

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 There's a very specific style here that feels tremendously out of date, particularly the details of wealthy British citizens facing trials in foreign locations.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.