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The house of doors
Tan, Twan Eng, 1972-2023
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It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert's, comes to stay. Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley's friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is - a man who has no choice but to mask his true self. As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts - a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.
Main title:
The house of doors / Tan Twan Eng.
Author:
Tan, Twan Eng, 1972-, author
Imprint:
Edinburgh : Canongate, 2023.
Collation:
306 pages ; 23 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographic references.
ISBN:
9781838858308 (paperback)
Language:
English
Subject:
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965 -- FictionGay men -- FictionAuthors, English -- 20th century -- FictionSecrecy -- FictionInterpersonal relations -- FictionAuthors, English -- FictionPinang Island (Pulau Pinang, Malaysia) -- History -- 20th century -- FictionMalaya -- History -- British rule, 1867-1942 -- FictionPulau Pinang (Malaysia : State) -- FictionHistorical fiction
BRN:
80665
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