Under the Whispering Door

UPDATE:
Originally I rated this very high, and stated I wanted to read more from this author. The after posting my review I found out that TJ Klune's other book THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA was actually based on how during the 50s and 60s in Canada Indigenous children were taken from their homes and put into government sanctioned orphanages/residential schools.

The fact that a cis white man turned that trauma into a fantasy story doesn't really sit well with me.
So I'll be passing on reading his other works. Deeply disappointed upon discovering this and the interview in which he discussed his reasoning behind it.

This is a quote from the interview:
“I came across something known as the Sixties Scoop, which was in Canada during the fifties and sixties, where indigenous children were taken from their homes and put into government sanctioned orphanages, for lack of a better word. It was something that I could not shake. And so when I stumbled upon this article about children being taken because they were different or they didn't adhere to what standards people thought should be at the time , it was something that I couldn't get out of my head and, but I didn't want to co-opt, you know, a history that wasn't mine. I'm a cis white dude, so I can't ever really go through something like what those children had to go through. So I sat down and I was like, I'm just going to write this as a fantasy.”

SOURCE: https://www.jeffandwill.com/biggayfictionpodcast/2020/03/16/episode-232-tj-klune-on-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea-extraordinaries-and-greek-creek/


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Pass the tissues and someone give me a giant Mei hug please.

A solid 4.5 read. The writing hooked me from the start. I loved the quirky style and got an immediate sense of who all the characters were. There are many recognizable troupes, but I enjoyed the journey and exploration of death and beyond. Wonderful world building and so many moments that tug at your heart strings, especially if you've experienced the loss of a loved.

This was my first time reading T.J. Klune, and will certainly be checking out HOUSE BY THE CERULEAN SEA as well as anything else to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Kirt Graves' narration, and felt he distinguished between each character subtly, but distinctly so I always knew exactly who was speaking.

***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.