The Painted Veil

One of the most engrossing and compelling novels I have read by Maugham. Despite being written over 100 years ago, many of its ideas feel very modern and would surely have been progressive for the time. It was also interesting reading this in the context of the prior Atwood, for the notion of subservience versus independence on the part of women is at the core of The Painted Veil. Its title evokes Shelley's sonnet, which begins, "Lift not the painted veil/ which those who live call Life." Put another way, the novel is about deception and its consequences. The key protagonist, Kitty, is vain and feckless. She makes an unsuccessful marriage and has an affair. When confronted by her husband, he offers her a choice: divorce and humiliation, or to accompany him to a remote cholera-ridden part of China (he is a doctor). He hopes to punish her through her death from the disease, yet not only does Kitty undergo a conversion, but her husband ends up being the one to contract the disease and die. Hence his final words: "the dog, it was that died." (from Goldsmith: the dog who bit the man died, and not the man.) The ideas of guilt, redemption, honesty, and the consequences of all the above are explored in depth. Even if Kitty was in the wrong, she witnesses a spiritual awakening. Thought-provoking throughout.

By Somerset Maugham