Under the Whispering Door

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.