Tan Twan Eng
, my third novel, is set in 1910 and 1921. One of its protagonists is W. Somerset Maugham, who is traveling around Malaya, at that time a British colony. Still recovering from ill health following a misadventure, Maugham accepts an invitation to spend two weeks recuperating at his old friend’s home by the sea on the island of Penang. The famous writer is accompanied by