Somerset Maugham's short story “The Letter” serves as the linchpin of Tran Twan Eng’s third novel, “The House of Doors,” which was selected for the 2023 Booker Prize long list.
The doorman in the white short-sleeved shirt and shorts, white knee-length socks and pith helmet smiles, presses his palm to his heart and pushes the heavy wooden doors open for me. The lobby of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel is an icy, blessed sanctuary from the heat beating down on the streets outside, and I feel myself cooling down immediately. I am in Penang, off the north-west coast of Malaysia, to launch my new novel, The House of Doors, at a refurbished 1930s cinema in the heart of George T
Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng has earned worldwide acclaim for emotionally astute fiction and elegant prose that illuminate historical dramas little known to many American readers. Each of his three novels, including his new "The House of Doors," has earned a spot on the Booker Prize longlist.True