The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng (with Mphuthumi Ntabeni)
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In this episode of Pagecast, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author Tan Twan Eng joins Cape Town-based political commentator and writer Mphuthumi Ntabeni for a conversation about his latest novel, The House of Doors.
Set in 1921 at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, the novel follows Robert Hamlyn, a well-to-do lawyer, and his steely wife Lesley, whose lives are upended by the arrival of an old friend, Willie Somerset Maugham. One of the great writers of his day, Willie is privately beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, failing health, and a struggle to write. As Lesley's friendship with him deepens, she sees him more clearly for who he truly is -- and finds herself sharing secrets of her own, including her connection to the revolutionary Dr Sun Yat Sen and a scandalous murder case in the Kuala Lumpur courts.
Drawn from real events, The House of Doors is a masterful exploration of public morality and private truth, set against the shadow of empire -- a story of love, betrayal, and the masks we wear to survive.
Tan Twan Eng is the bestselling author of The Garden of Evening Mists. The House of Doors is out now and available at all good bookstores.
Set in 1921 at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, the novel follows Robert Hamlyn, a well-to-do lawyer, and his steely wife Lesley, whose lives are upended by the arrival of an old friend, Willie Somerset Maugham. One of the great writers of his day, Willie is privately beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, failing health, and a struggle to write. As Lesley's friendship with him deepens, she sees him more clearly for who he truly is -- and finds herself sharing secrets of her own, including her connection to the revolutionary Dr Sun Yat Sen and a scandalous murder case in the Kuala Lumpur courts.
Drawn from real events, The House of Doors is a masterful exploration of public morality and private truth, set against the shadow of empire -- a story of love, betrayal, and the masks we wear to survive.
Tan Twan Eng is the bestselling author of The Garden of Evening Mists. The House of Doors is out now and available at all good bookstores.
