Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune | Book Review


 

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: September 28th, 2021 (first published: September 21st, 2021)
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary
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Source: Thank you Pansing for the review copy in return for an honest review
Rating: 4
Blurb

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.


When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Review

It has taken me so long to pick up this book to read because of the book's theme. Actually, I tried to avoid it. However, I have read it now. It was about grief, death, love, acceptance, and self-discovery. It was a lot to take in. I can't help but tear up.

The story begins with Wallace, who is a lawyer. He is a selfish, rude, and very unlikable character. At the beginning of the story, where he fires a good employee for a small mistake, besides that, he also has a not-so-good history with his ex-wife. Eventually, he was found dead because of a heart attack. He wakes up at his funeral, where he meets Mei, the reaper. He was then brought up to meet the ferryman. This is where he will start to go on a self-discovery journey before going to the other side.

I was fascinated by the magical place with the ferryman, but it is actually quite a heavy story to follow. There are many hidden messages in this story when you are able to follow this story really well. Would I say that this is my favorite? but I like the story itself because it makes me think a lot about my own life. Despite carrying a heavy theme, it does give me a good laugh with the ferryman. When the story itself rips my heart out, but at the same time, it gives me some comfort, that is a weird duo, honestly. The story was beautifully crafted.


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