The House of Doors

It’s 1921, and Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert—a respected lawyer and war veteran—are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang. Their quiet, cultivated life is disrupted by the arrival of Robert’s old friend, the celebrated writer W. Somerset Maugham, accompanied by his loyal secretary, Gerald. But what begins as a social visit soon exposes fault lines beneath the surface of every relationship in the house.

Maugham, though still renowned, is a man in crisis. His career is waning, his health faltering, and his private life—marked by a secretive, strained marriage and his concealed homosexuality—is on the verge of collapse. Stripped of financial security and creative inspiration, he arrives in Penang desperate for a compelling story to revive his art.

As Maugham observes the tensions in Lesley and Robert’s marriage, he becomes convinced there’s more to their history than either admits. Lesley’s enigmatic past, including a rumored connection to Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen, draws his curiosity. But it is her unfolding tale—of colonial society, personal defiance, and a sensational murder trial involving an Englishwoman—that captures his imagination.

Longlisted for Booker Prize. An International Bestseller.