Under the Whispering Door

Mr. Klune has again made me weep over one of his books. The last few chapters of this are rough but it ultimately has a happy ending so don't be deterred. This is an interesting take on death and the afterlife with some romance and a lot of mysticism/magical realism. It reminded me a lot of [b:Elsewhere 359410 Elsewhere Gabrielle Zevin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442686280l/359410.SX50.jpg 349532] with a bit of Dead Like Me thrown in; both of which are favourite things so I was hooked in easily. Warren Price, our main character, is an asshole lawyer who has everything and nothing and meets his ultimate end rather unexpectedly. What's even more unexpected is what happens next, and how a bit of purgatory and the people he meets there was the best thing to ever happen to him. It's just too bad he's already dead.

3 1/2 stars upgraded to 4.

This is a sweet story with a unique premise. A ghost falls in love with a human man who ferries souls to the hereafter? I was so here for it. The romance takes a back seat to the plot, however. Not a single love scene either. My library had this categorized as Romance, so I assumed there would be. So just know that going in. But the storyline and the characters kept me interested even so.

Just like The House in the Cerulean Sea, it was cosy it was beautiful. It made me weep. It was a great read and I love the ending. It's a very heartwarming story again as with the other book where a man finds himself becoming kinder and better. 

What I liked more about The House in the Cerulean Sea that I missed a bit here, is that they didn't have all the control. Most of the tension there came from Linus deciding what to do, and less about some outside force punching them, like the manager did here. Less kind or less about the person than it was. 

I was very surprised how much I disliked this book, considering I generally really enjoy the category of warm and nice people doing things together.

for a group of people whose job it is to help people accept their death and move along on their journey, most of the group has no patience for people who don't immediately accept their death. If someone is scared, confused, and in pain BECAUSE THEY'RE DEAD, it's not a mark of a kickass woman to threaten and mock them. It's cruel. I was hoping for there to be some sort of growth from that character, but, nope, Mei's perfect and she's a badass because she refuses to show any patience towards people processing their emotions. So, if you're annoyed or confused by her dismissive behavior at the beginning, give up: it's not going to improve ever.

Can a book about death be funny and kitschy? Yes. But not this book. It's mostly just shallow. It lacks any emotional depth or growth. Character's just change into the character the author wants them to be.

- If you work a job that refuses you a life outside of it, but you ‘feel good' about it, does that make it better than working an all-consuming job that only gives you money? according to Klune: yes. but both are just exploiting you, honestly.

- if you are extremely lonely (because of your job), and you meet someone else who is equally lonely (because of their job), and you fall in love with them because their whole job is to pay attention to you, is that true love, or just a sad attachment syndrome? to Klune? true, pathetic love. to most others? well, it's a sign to not settle for the first person who has shown you attention.

“I'm dead,” he said. “There's no going back from that. A river only moves in one direction.”

TJ Klune's books have become a place where my heart can get a zap like a defibrillator pedal. Both Under a Whispering Door and Under the Cerulean Sea tread the line between sentimental and sweet, but Klune is such a skilled writer that I never drift to the wrong side of that line.

Instead, after I get done with his books, and for this review, I will be talking about the newly released Under the Whispering Door; I feel good about myself and good about the world. I hope that somewhere in the vastness of this universe, there are true stories like what you find in these books. In the infinite, anything is possible. But until I discover and am witness to real-life stories that are as sweet as these, I will have to go back and read Under the Whispering Door again and again.

Wallace whispered, “It's easy to let yourself spiral and fall.”
“It is,” Nelson agreed. “But it's what you do to pull yourself out of it that matters most.”

The book follows Wallace Price Esq. A big-time lawyer and partner in a law firm. He is everything a someone who does not practice law expects lawyers to act. In that vein, Wallace is an immediately identifiable character, not one you can sympathize with, but absolutely one you understand. He is cold, calculating, ruthless, and utterly devoid of the ability to empathize.

These characteristics served him well. He is smartly dressed and expects the same of those around him. He is crushingly fastidious and again expects this of others. Any infraction on this is met with cold civility and a pink check. In other words, he is hated by his employees, has no friends, and his contemporaries are either terrified of him or believe him to be a cretin.

Then he dies. Alone. This starts the actual journey.

He wakes up from death at his funeral. There was no gnashing of teeth and wailing to the Heavens. Quite the contrary. “He was a real bastard.” Everyone is ignoring him; no one can see him. He is dead, so it makes sense except for one woman. She keeps staring in his general direction. She introduces herself, her name is Mei, and she is a reaper. She has come to take Wallace onwards.

She takes him to a place, a shabby chic little tea house in the middle of the forest. A place that Wallace would never have visited in his life but is now staying at in his death. Mei introduces Wallace to Hugo, the ferryman. Hugo's job is to help Wallace get used to the idea that he is dead before he steps through the final door. A door where Wallace hear's whispers coming from underneath it.

The writing is lovely. Klune writes in a minimalistic style; he gets the ideas across in prose that is not overly embellished or wordy but still packs an emotional punch. “Because you're you, and that's who you're supposed to be.” It is also hilarious, and there is one scene involving an ouija board that had me in tears.

Klune is so good, and his books keep having me come back for more because of the relationships he forges. There are many types of love in this life, or death as it were. There is familial love. The love of found family. The love of a dog. And the love between lovers. Klune explores them all. Because what can teach someone most about life more than love? Love spans the gamut from Blisteringly painful to joyous, and Wallace needs to learn to be a person.

Under the Whispering Door is a joyous book, a little slow at first, but things start to get rolling about midway, and I finished it all in one afternoon. It has passion, love, pain, and all the beautiful things life has to offer if you can recognize it and appreciate it. Thank you, TJ Klune, for another lovely book. I won't be forgetting Wallace's journey anytime soon.

Torn between a 4 and a 5. There were some parts of this that I found very boring and found myself tuning out. That said, the majority of it was beautiful. I loved it so much. Such a unique premise for a book, so many unique perspectives about how we view life and death and our purpose. A beautiful portrayal of love. Some parts had me truly weeping, others were so funny I couldn't help but grin.

tj klune's writing is so similiar in all of his books and i adore it. the plot and vibes of this book were honestly a little too similar to me to house in the cerulean sea for me. still enjoyed the book and i even cried but it was giving same book different fonts. i love house in the cerulean sea but i wish he changed it up a little. also some of the character growth wasn't smooth and slightly unbelievable for me. idk how tj klune has made me sob in all his books but he really did 

Having read The House in the Cerulean Sea (which I loved) and now Under the Whispering Door, I've noticed a certain Pixar-esque sensibility to T.J. Klune's writing – there's a dynamic premise, a gentle touch, a colorful cast of characters, and a thoughtful message. The tone borders right on the edge of being too syrupy sweet, but Klune injects enough turmoil and heft into the proceedings to never cross over into cloyingness.

I did have some difficulty getting behind Wallace's redemption arc here, as his introduction paints him in such a vile light that it made it hard to believe his personality could undergo such a 180 in such a short time. As such, I did not find this book to be as effective or affecting as The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it is still well worth your time. I really enjoy Klune's writing and I look forward to reading whatever he pens next.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Books, Coffee & Passion

Under the Whispering Door tackles a very heavy serious topic: death. Basically, there's death, grief, and what comes next unpacked in this story. Honestly, if I hadn't read The House in the Cerulean Sea and if this book wasn't written by TJ Klune, I don't know if I would read it considering the serious themes in it. But I'm so happy I didn't miss this one.

This story is a journey. Wallace's journey: alive, dead, and then to what comes next. I was hooked by the storytelling from the first page. Wallace was not a good person when he was alive and suddenly, very unexpectedly in his opinion, he is dead. He meets a reaper at his own funeral that takes him to the ferryman. The man who is going to help Wallace cross: Hugo. Hugo owns a tea shop in the middle of nowhere in the cutest house that remains intact defying gravity. The thing is... Wallace is not ready to abandon life and Hugo will help him through it, to get Wallace to where he needs to go.

TJ Klune is a master at creating amazing characters. The cast of characters in this book is fantastic. Wallace, the flawed lawyer that didn't care for anyone other than himself and his job; Hugo, the ferryman with a huge heart and anxiety; Mei, the funniest, in your face, loud Reaper; Nelson the most mischievous, hilarious character ever and Apollo the clumsiest, sweetest dog. I loved every single one of these characters. All of them were so different from each other and yet they fit together perfectly. Wallace's character growth while he was dead, the emotional journey, the connections he forges with other characters, how he falls in love with Hugo... everything was so well done. I couldn't stop reading it. The story was beautifully written, it's cozy and whimsical, sad and heartbreaking, funny and sweet, deep and emotional. I loved every second of it. The plot may be a little predictable but the journey is everything.

On a very personal level, as someone who doesn't deal well at all with death, loss, and grief, Under the Whispering Door will stay with me for a long time. A must-read.

“Life is more than dirty socks.”

Klune's cast of characters are adorable, and he handles heavy topics (death and grief) with a melancholy lightness that makes you smile more than frown.

The first half is really slow (A bit too slice-of-life, maybe? At least for me). And many times I felt all the characters spoke with the same voice (like someone having a conversation with themself in their own head).

Overall an okay book which will be a great book for a reader who loves slow paced slice-of-life adorableness.

DNF. Part of the reason I loved the House in The Cerulean Sea was the character development as he interacted with the kids, the love story was my least favorite part because it felt unrealistic and haphazardly written. Under the whispering door is almost like reading just the love story from THITCS and once again it feels unrealistic and boring. Are we really supposed to believe that this man who was absolutely hated his entire life will suddenly become a better guy just because he has a crush on the ferryman? It would be okay if the plot was interesting enough to carry it, but really nothing happens. I got about halfway through before realizing this book is just not for me.

Wallace was a cranky man who only viewed the bottom line. Whether people made small mistakes or big mistakes, once they crossed that line they were out of his life. Up until the day he died. And as a ghost, he watched his own funeral, unsatisfied with the crowd and their reactions. When a reaper guides him to his next destination, a tea shop containing the door to his final resting place, Wallace is faced with the reality of his life. And bit by bit, the tea shop residents begin to chip away at Wallace’s tough exterior.

Wallace is set up to be an unlikable character. His actions and internal dialogue paint the picture of an ignorant man who wants things his way or not at all. And the side effect of people becoming emotional or detached is viewed through a lens of disconnection. Even after death Wallace digs his heels in and refuses to admit he was ever wrong. Until his daily interactions with Hugo, the reaper May and fellow ghosts break through to show him just how insufferable he was.

But Wallace holds himself back from forming connections, building walls between himself and others. It forced the character relationships to start and stop in their development and slowed the pacing as well. Each time there was a shred of hope for Wallace to improve his relationship, the lens of disconnection appeared and made the interactions less impactful. That’s not to say there isn’t any character development, it just takes a long time for Wallace to begin. And when he does start to evolve, the emotions behind his actions aren't strong enough to connect with the reader.

Under the Whispering Door does a good job of showing the beauty of living a fulfilling life. And while there aren’t many jokes woven into the tale, Apollo the ghost dog is sure to make a few readers laugh. His antics around anyone he doesn’t enjoy are hilarious as a normal person can’t see him, or feel when he decides they should be peed on.

While this story is slower-paced than other TJ Klune novels, it still has great underlying themes. I would recommend this to those who are looking for a lighter read about life after death, and quirky characters who try to do their best to help people cross over.