Lead Review (The House of Doors)

• Book: The House of Doors
• Location: Malaysia (Malaya), Penang
• Author: Tan Twan Eng

Review Author: tripfiction

Goodness, what an immersive novel. I loved being transported back in time and meeting real people through the author’s imagination.

The focus is largely on Leslie Hamlyn and her relationship with Robert, her ailing husband, who suffers from a severe lung complaint and has been advised by his doctor to move to the Karoo, where the weather is drier. It is something they are pondering.

The sense of place and era are beautifully evoked and colourfully enhanced with the inclusion of real characters. Willie Somerset Maughan stays with the couple, with his secretary in tow. He is in a very unhappy marriage back in London and sees travel as a kind of quest to keep moving, jotting down experiences and impressions as he travels. Upon arrival it is clear that he is struggling with his writing, afflicted by several personal problems. Following his stay at Cassowary House with the Hamlyns, he eventually goes on to publish The Casuarina Tree, in which he retells tales told to him, alluding to lives lived in the Straits Settlement of Penang. All those private lives and public virtues…..

Earlier SunYat-sen (known by his childhood moniker Sun Wen) – who came to be known as the Father of China – spent time in the Hamlyn household, which adds an interesting political dimension to the novel. Lesley became involved in the local group supporting his actions and in a way that opens up her world.

A further and involving dimension is the story constructed around the real case of an Englishwoman who was charged with murder for defending herself against a rapist – a man who was part of the British community, which made it a tantalising story. She is portrayed as Lesley’s good friend, who herself goes down to KL to support her during her trial.

Indeed, there are many and varied strands within this novel, which the author brings together beautifully, creating quite a masterpiece of Empire life. The backdrop oozes heat and local colour as the story unfolds, and is very transportive to colonial times. A wonderfully fictionalised creation that could be so very real, written with subtlety and elegance.

I listened to this as an audiobook and it had two narrators. The female narrator took on a very starchy RP voice, that I am sure felt appropriate for the time and place, yet it sounded too forced and contrived and didn’t ring quite right when there are words like the American ‘gotten’ in the text. When she created voices for others, it felt much more natural. This might really put some people off. The male voice was pitch perfect.

Highly recommended.

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