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The House of Doors
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Format: Hardback
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The anticipated novel from the Booker-shortlisted author exploring love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang
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Description
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023
It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley is a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert's, comes to stay. Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health, and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write.
The more Lesley's friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she sees him as he is— a man who has no choice but to mask his true self. As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts— a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.
From Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors is a masterful novel of public morality and private truth a century ago. Based on real events, it is a drama of love and betrayal under the shadow of Empire.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng has received praise as an engrossing novel that beautifully explores themes of love, desire, and duty. Set against the backdrop of British imperialism in South-East Asia, it intertwines the hidden life of a renowned English writer with a forgotten century-old murder trial, delivering a rich and multi-layered storytelling experience. Reviewers have highlighted its exquisite use of language and descriptive imagery, noting the author's skill in crafting a narrative that offers both pleasure and insights into the complexity of storytelling and truth.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781838858292
Publisher: Canongate Books
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 18 May 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Canongate Books
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 31.0mm
Width: 162.0mm
Height: 240.0mm
Weight: 536g
Pages: 320
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About the Author
Tan Twan Eng was born in Penang, Malaysia. His debut novel The Gift of Rain was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007 and has been widely translated. The Garden of Evening Mists won the Man Asian Literary Prize 2012 and the 2013 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012 and the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.The House of Doors is his third novel.@tan.twan.eng
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The House of Doors
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023 A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert's, comes to stay. Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Garden of Evening Mists
The Garden of Evening Mists is the international bestseller shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and the winner of both the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Walter Scott Prize. Teoh Yun Ling was seventeen years old when she first heard about Aritomo and the garden. But a war would come to Malaya, and a decade would pass before she...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Gift of Rain
Penang, 1939. Sixteen-year-old Philip Hutton is a loner. Half English, half Chinese and feeling neither, he discovers a sense of belonging in an unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip shows his new friend around his adored island of Penang, and in return, Endo trains him in the art and discipline of aikido. But such knowledge comes at...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3300Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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