By the Book: Tan Twan Eng's The House Of Doors

Award-winning Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng's third novel has just arrived on the shelves amidst a lot of anticipation, and it certainly takes on a lofty task: The House of Doors fictionalises, among others, renowned author William Somerset Maugham and revolutionary Chinese statesman Sun Yat Sen, in a story set in colonial Penang. We speak with Twan Eng about why he was drawn to these personalities, writing from the viewpoint of a repressed British woman of the era, and the unique structure of the novel. We close off with a review of the book.

Image Credit: Lit Books