The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

This book constitutes one of the finest readings I have had in the last months, and which I cannot but strongly recommend.

Set in Penang, Malasya, in 1921, the novel unfolds at least through three different threads. In first place, author W. Somerset Maugham himself steps in as one of the characters.

Then, inevitably, we are taken by The letter, one of his most successful stories inspired by real facts happening at the time of his visit to Penang, where we follow the geopolitical events carved in an area we hardly ever are familiar with.

Besides, the twist and turns of plots and sub-plots are unpredictable, adding a surplus to the value of the novel.

The House of Doors reveals the gift and craft of Tan Twang Eng, an accomplished writer fully capable of sustaining a complicated architecture while making use of an elegant and powerful prose.

Reviewed by Liliana Navarro
Library Assistant