The House of Doors

“The House of Doors is brilliantly observed and full of memorable characters. It is so well-written, everything so effortlessly dramatized, the narrative so well structured and paced, that this is a book that will mesmerize readers far into the future.” —Colm Tóibín, author of The Magician

 

“This is historical fiction at its best—a novel that doesn’t feel as though it was written about a time but rather as though it was written directly from that time. The House of Doors is immersive, transporting, and exquisitely crafted.” —Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans

 

“A magnetic tale of love, betrayal, and colonialism.” —Entertainment Weekly

 

“The House of Doors is a tremendous feat of literary imagination. Highly evocative, richly observed and entirely convincing, it is a tour de force!” —William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart and Trio

 

“Exquisite . . . Tan takes on a behemoth task here: combining sensational fact and intimate fiction in a British colonial Asian setting complicated by white privilege, politics, social hypocrisy, gender inequity, racism, homophobia, and more . . . [He] succeeds in delivering another intricate literary gift.” —Booklist, starred review

 

“The narrative dwells on memory and loss, its lush, dreamy prose evoking the bygone days of colonial pre-WWII British Malaya amid musings on life’s ephemeral nature, while never losing its eye for injustice . . . This is a stunner.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Outstanding . . . The House of Doors again displays [Eng’s] talent for atmospheric evocation of place and period . . . A finely accomplished piece of work.” —Sunday Times (UK)