In 1921, Somerset Maugham(Willie) visits a couple in Malaysia in 1921. The couple is Robert, and old friend of Maugham's from London and his much younger wife, Lesley. Accompanying Maugham is his secretary, Gerald, who is also his lover. Robert is a well-to-do lawyer, his wife a society wife who attends to the social obligations of the couple among the British expats in colonial Penang.

Maugham is known for using incidents in the lives he encounters as fodder for his popular works of fiction and Robert warns Lesley about this. Nevertheless, during their two week stay, Lesley has some stories that she wants to get off her chest. She ends up telling Willie about her husband's homosexual affair, and her reaction to that news. She also relates the story of Ethel Proudlock, who was found guilty of murdering her lover around the same time period.

The story moves back and forth between 1910 & 1921 and the chapters alternate between Lesley and Willie. Lesley's are written in the first person narrative. Willie's chapters are descriptive narrative, probably based on the fact that his character is based on someone in real life, while Lesley is a fictional character.
There are beautiful, atmospheric descriptions of nature: the sea, the mountains, and the architecture of Penang. There are also racist and homophobic sentiments and attitudes expressed which are reflection of the time period of the novel.

I found that my appreciation for the novel was enhanced by reading Somerset Maugham's short story "The Letter" which is now in the public domain and available to download as a PDF. ( )

Tan has written three novels. All three have made the Booker longlist or shortlist. I have read his two previous novels (The Garden of Evening Mists and The Gift of Rain) both of which I greatly enjoyed. This was no exception. It is 1921 and Somerset Maugham visits Penang, spending a number of weeks staying with an old friend and his wife. The chapters alternate between a murder and trial taking place during Maugham’s stay and a series of events taking place in 1910 between his hosts and Sun Yat Sen, the Chinese Nationalist leader. The impetus for the book is that Maugham took the murder trial that is lightly fictionalized here as the basis for one of his most famous stories, “The Letter.” The story lines intersect, particularly in ways illuminated by notion of doors. The title is literal…but it also serves, I think, as a powerful metaphor: doors can open, showing us what lies behind them. They can also shut us out from what we are not meant to see. But they can be left ajar as well. Tan’s story, as with his other two novels, is multi-layered, reflecting on both different levels and kinds of repression and oppression, loneliness and illusion. His writing, as always, is a pleasure and I finished the book in a matter of two days. Though I would resist identifying him as a world-class writer, he is always a pleasure to read, both for the grace and inventiveness of his prose and the understated manner in which he demands that his readers ponder serious questions. ( )

The books of Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng are truly special. They transport the reader to the historical worlds of Penang and a fascinating cast of characters. The House of Doors takes place during WW I era Penang and is centered around Robert and Lesley, two long-time Penang residents who become involved with the most interesting visitors to Penang. The tale involves both Sun Yat Sen and W. Somerset Maugham. Although the book starts slow it rapidly becomes more and more absorbing. ( )

It was such a pleasure reading every single chapter of this novel. I was fully transported back to the 20's... the swinging time when Penang was in its prime with many "angmohs" calling it their home.

There are many stories about Penang in the market, but this one was exceptional in my opinion. I liked how the story was told and the many characters that brought the story to life. Lesley and Robert, Willie and Gerald, even Sun Yat Sen made a cameo appearance. When Lesley decided to bare her soul to Willie, it was truly bizarre yet melancholy, a ''expect the unexpected'' moment for me.

Mr. Tan truly knows his ways with words. Every prose so meticulously penned and yet the story flourished easily. I liked the extra touch where some Bahasa Melayu was added. It definitely localized the story more, giving it more depth and realistic. It was definitely an easy read even with the many incidents that transpired with the many characters involved.

I am so happy to have finished this novel, one that I was looking forward to as I have enjoyed the previous 2, The Garden of Evening Mist and The Gift of Rain, a lot!!! I just hope that I don't have to wait another 8 years for the 4th one to be out LOL! If you like historical romance in Asian setting, do pick this one up. In case if you are not aware, there are some LGBT elements to the story so be forewarned ya... ( )

[b:The House of Doors|65215270|The House of Doors|Tan Twan Eng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1698331937l/65215270._SY75_.jpg|98727713] touched all my buttons in a good way: beautiful writing, literary references which had me looking up bios and movies and stories of [a:W. Somerset Maugham|4176632|W. Somerset Maugham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1414096390p2/4176632.jpg] who is fictionalized in this novel. There was romance, murder, and an exotic locale. [a:Tan Twan Eng|13847588|Tan Twan Eng|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500524463p2/13847588.jpg] keeps us moving along at a fine pace using the alternate chapter structure of Maugham, then Lesley, the storyteller. Does anyone read Maugham now? Other than his colonial racism, he's a master of description, place and people. I read [b:The Letter and Other Stories|887839|The Letter and Other Stories|W. Somerset Maugham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1179194622l/887839._SX50_.jpg|873023] and want to see the Bette Davis movie. ( )