Under The Whispering Door Book Review
General Spoiler Warning: some of what is discussed in this book review may be seen as spoilers, read with caution.
“He hoped wherever he was going that there’d still be the sun and the moon and the stars. He’d spent a majority of his life with his head turned down. It seemed only fair that eternity would allow him to raise his face toward the sky.”
If you’re a reader—which I would assume you most likely are—you might be familiar with the feeling you get when you finish a book and think, this book was made for me in this exact moment.
This pretty much sums up all of my feelings for TJ Klune’s newest book Under the Whispering Door. It was the perfect book for me at just the right time and it has induced one of the biggest book hangovers I’ve had all year.
I’m still processing through my emotions surrounding this book, which makes it extremely difficult to summarize or coherently discuss, so just bear with me.
Wallace Price has led a less than memorable life. He’s fought his way to the top as a hot shot lawyer working nonstop, making good money, though he doesn’t have anyone to share it with. He isn’t well liked by his peers, he doesn’t have any friends, his marriage has failed. But none of that matters now because within the first few chapters of this story, Wallace Price dies. At his funeral, he meets Mei, a reaper who has come to help him along on his journey in the after life. Reluctantly, Wallace agrees to follow Mei to Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop where he meets Hugo, a ferryman who will eventually help him cross over through a mysterious door. This is a brief synopsis, but this book truly has everything. There’s grief, life after death, crossing over, found family, romance, LGBTQ representation, a bit of mystery, hilarious moments and very emotional moments. This book is very special.
The majority of this novel takes place in a tea shop. But this tea shop isn’t like all the others. At Charon’s Crossing, people actually talk to each other. They aren’t on their devices, but rather, they engage in conversation over mugs of tea and coffee. How novel. Tea is very important element in this novel and Klune does an incredible job building a world that makes you feel like you’re tucked into a corner of this very tea shop, watching the action unfold before your eyes, a warm mug of tea between your hands.
Under the Whispering Door has a delightful cast of characters, who are all dealing with life (and death) in their own way.
Mei is a kickass reaper who gives the best hugs and tells it like it is.
Hugo is an honorable ferryman who has a knack for brewing everyone’s perfect cup of tea.
Nelson is a troublemaker who also happens to be Hugo’s grandfather. He’s known for his wit and his sick burns. His interactions with Wallace made me laugh out loud multiple times.
And finally, Apollo, Hugo’s not so qualified therapy dog.
The dialogue between these characters is wonderful. Klune has an ability to deliver hard hitting, emotional lines followed immediately by humorous quips that feel very tasteful, providing the perfect balance of emotions.
“Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”
Grief is a human emotion that I really enjoy reading about. This may seem dark to you, but I believe that grief is a thread that binds us all together. At some point in our lives, maybe you’ve already experienced it, grief is something we will all meet face to face. What’s fascinating to me is that grief looks different for all of us. The way we process this emotion can look wildly different from person to person and moment to moment. And we don’t just grieve death, we can grieve many things in this life. I love watching authors explore this in their own way. Klune has been open and honest about his personal experiences with grief and how his experiences influenced the writing of this book. I’m thankful that Klune allowed us into such a raw moment in his life because his creation of Under the Whispering Door, provides space for readers to explore their own grief.
What happens after we die is a something I think all humans wonder. Is there a heaven, a hell, is it the end, do we just cease to exist, do we recognize each other wherever we’re going? Humans have been attempting to theorize about this for centuries. I loved the world Klune created that allowed us to explore the possiblities of what might happen after death.
“Remember what I told you about need versus want? We don’t need you because that implies you had to fix something in us. We were never broken. We want you, Wallace. Every piece. Every part. Because we’re family.”
This book is also a great example of found family, which is one of my very favorite tropes. If you’re unfamiliar with found family, it’s exactly what it sounds like: surrounding yourself with people you choose as your family rather than being born into it. These characters come together to form a tight knit family unit throughout this story. They grow together, grieve together, learn about life and death together, and help each other every step of the way. It’s delightful.
Another theme Klune explores is the idea that no matter how old you are, or even whether you are alive or dead, you can change. You can choose to look at life through a different lens. You can change your outlook, the way you talk to people, your actions. How beautiful is it to be reminded that we are in control of ourselves and how we respond to the world around us.
This book made me laugh out loud and weep. There are specific scenes in this book that I read multiple times in a row because they were so impactful and so beautifully written. When I came to the last page, I closed the book and held it close to my chest. This is the kind of book I want to carry around in my heart for the rest of my life.
“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.’”
I hope I’ve done an okay job summarizing my thoughts and opinions on this book. Sometimes when I feel big emotions about something, I find it challenging to lay them all out on the table, not for fearing of sharing, but because they are so big it’s almost impossible to lay them out in a coherent way. It’s like trying to put a fitted sheet on a king size bed by yourself. As soon as you’ve secured one corner and move on the to the next, the corner you just secured pops off, leaving you with a jumbled mess. Even as a writer, I sometimes flounder for the right words to apply to something that holds tremendous meaning.
I would highly recommend this book if you:
Enjoy emotional reads
Like quippy dialogue
Are a deep thinker
Liked Klune’s other book The House in the Cerulean Sea
I would tread lightly if:
You are actively grieving (this book might be helpful or hurtful for you)
Mentions of suicide or child illness are upsetting for you
Star rating: 5/5 stars
