I’m forever fascinated by the myriad ways in which humans explore conceptualizations of the afterlife. By its very nature, we will never have concrete answers about death, and I find the endless well of speculation about death as a concept one worth returning to. Via main character Wallace’s journey after he dies suddenly and wakes up as a ghost at his own funeral, Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune explores themes of grief, loss, trauma, love, and what it means to live at all.

First off, those who loved The House in the Cerulean Sea should expect a significant tone shift, even if elements such as humor and lovable secondary characters remain consistent. This shift worked well for me; compared to other works by Klune I’ve read, where the drama veered straight into melodramatic, Under the Whispering Door offered much more consistency and believability in the serious moments. With one caveat I’ll explain later, I felt the emotional beats landed well in this novel and can see many folks being moved to tears by various sections of the novel. The serious moments are interspersed with humor and lighten the mood with varying degrees of success; if you enjoy humor that is often witty, sometimes slapstick, sometimes morbid, this book fits the bill.

As always, I appreciated how unapologetically queer this novel was, not only with central characters Wallace (bi) and Hugo (gay), but with other secondary characters you meet along the way. The secondary characters, in particular Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo were huge delights to me. The first half of this novel has a distinctly slice of life feel and approach; most scenes revolve around characters having conversations, and its through those conversations that you really get to know the supporting cast. I did find the first half slower for that reason, though not in a bad way, but readers who are looking for an plot-packed read from beginning to end may struggle. I also enjoyed the supernatural elements of ghosts, Reapers, and the enigma that is the Manager a great deal.

My main (and personal) issue with Under the Whispering Door, to be frank, is Wallace.

It’s hard to talk about the details without going into spoiler territory, but from the jump, we learn that Wallace is a privileged, rich, cis white man who treated everyone in his living life, from his ex-wife to one of the non-partner employees at his law firm, like absolute garbage. Even after he dies, he’s still an absolute asshole to everyone he can interact with around him for a considerable amount of time. I found it incredibly difficult to garner ANY sympathy in myself for Wallace, which made a lot of the book difficult to stomach as a result. While I recognize one of the bigger thematic goals of this novel is to explore the idea of redemption and healing—and I know some folks who have read the book will see this review and be like, ‘I think you’re missing the point!’—I was not sold on Wallace’s character arc, which means I didn’t buy into one of the biggest premises the novel operates on: that everyone, no matter how awful, no matter how much you think they’re beyond saving, is worth your care and compassion. Wallace was deeply, deeply unlikeable to me from start to finish, and though I tried to remain open to changing my opinion on him, it did not budge.

This subsequently meant the romance did not work quite as well for me as it may for some readers. I absolutely loved Hugo and appreciated how empathetic, sensitive, and caring he was. What I didn’t understand is why he would care about Wallace in particular beyond the compassion he shows to each and every spirit he guides to the afterlife. Pacing wise, there were also some issues to me; the novel goes from having them approach each other with extreme reservation to being super in love in a short amount of time, and (imo) with very little supporting action or evidence to justify this shift in their relationship. For the life of me, I could not see what Hugo would see in Wallace, which made the romance fall flat.

Overall, Under the Whispering Door will be a heartfelt, poignant, satisfying read for many. If you enjoy emotional reads that offer powerful reflection on death, grief, and what it means to be alive, and as long as you expect heavier, more serious themes than Klune’s last novel, you will likely enjoy this book more than I did.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book gave me all the feels. I loved the characters, the premise, the message, the dialogue, everything! So many times while reading, I caught myself with a big smile on my face. It was funny and touching.

I don't think I've ever said this in a review before, but I hope this book gets made into a movie! If done right, it would be visually stunning and emotionally powerful.

What will you do with the time you have left? This question is at the core of this novel and it was intense for me. Nine months ago I found out I have Huntington's Disease, a rare genetic degenerative neurological disease with no treatment. I don't have symptoms now but there's no way to know when I'll get them or what that will look like for me. So I've been pondering this question a lot anyway and this book really brought it back to the front of my consciousness. Because of that it was a slow read and difficult at times.

This is a beautifully written story about what happens after death. Wallace was a nasty person when he was alive, he knew it and didn't care. Soon after his death, he's met by a Reaper who takes him to a way station between life and what's next. It is here that Wallace gets some perspective on what kind of person he was and realizes that's not how he wants to be.

This is a very sensory book, between the visuals and descriptions of sounds and smells and tastes, I was right there in it the whole time. The writing is strong and there's some great humor. I wasn't fully satisfied with the resolution, which is the only thing keeping me from giving it five stars.

Multitudes

Under the Whispering Door is so much more than a love story. It’s a beautiful, emotional one but to me, this book at its heart is a story about family, friendship, acceptance, and finding the person you’re meant to be. Though Wallace was a difficult man to even like at the beginning, as he grew so my did my heart for him. His journey was so sincere and so real it brought tears to my eyes. It’s an absolutely brilliant, thought-provoking, at times humorous, and at others, heartbreaking read that I highly recommend. Just make sure you unexpect as you read.

This is a very special, wholesome, whimsical story about death and what comes after. I love TJ Klune’s writing. It’s lovely, warm, smart and it flows so nicely. And his characters are the BEST. They are all so unique and full of life and quirky in the best way possible. This book is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read.

I think my expectations for this book led me to be disappointed. I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I was expected a similar novel. Under the Whispering Door is a quieter novel that does not have the same quirky side characters or overt humor. Klune's skill as a writer is still evident, and the novel does share the same beautiful language as his previous novel. The book is well written, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

**ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Wow. Wow wow wow.
This book had me crying multiple times in good and bad ways.

These characters really grew on me and I feel they were made very convincingly. One minor thing that confused me is how quickly Wallace changed from grumpy business man to someone with humor and emotions. But I guess dying does something to you.

Something I thought was very cute was that there was a tiny reference to the title of the author's other book, 'island in the cerulean sea' with a picture on the wall. (Which I'm definitely picking up after this)

I really connected with Wallace on some points of his personality which I didn't think I would. "The why of things was Wallace's specialty" yup. For some reason Nelson also felt like a very relatable character. Hugo and Mei felt real, but their way or speaking was too vague for me to relate to.




//Minor spoilers//




One tiny thing I missed though was Wallace seeing the connection between 'the manager' and him being an aweful boss. I felt like that parallel could've been shown more, how he went from being one, to understanding how terrible it is to have such a boss as he was. His evolution as character was amazing though, going from "I don't care at all about anyone's feelings, they're a nuisance" to helping with things, thinking "It's the least I could do"

I genuinely love the ending the author chose, I was really dreading the last chapters because I felt like I knew how it would end and I didn't think I would like it.

For the publisher/author:
I personally think it would have been better not to include the 7 days thing in the blurb, since it happened only near the end of the book. It kind of made me on edge the beginning until he stayed longer than a week, then I became very confused and on edge to see when it would happen.
One small remark is there's a lot of complicated words I had to look up.
BUT GREAT BOOK NONETHELESS, BEAUTIFUL COVER, AMAZING WRITING AND HEARTBREAKING PLOT.

4.25 stars!

Secretly going "eeeeeee" and "omg omg omg" hours after having finished reading this book!

After having read 2 of TJ Klune's books last year, I fell in love with his writing and what he does with his stories. He brings humanity, kindness, sympathy, and most importantly, empathy to the characters, and as a result, to the human experience as a whole. The warmth and hope that his writing holds, tells you that we're not alone and that the light at the end of the tunnel needn't just be a metaphor for the sake of metaphors. He lets his words settle down deep in your heart, as if embracing you, and then consumes you with everything within, in the best way possible!

And I felt these same things with Under the Whispering Door. This is the story of Wallace Price, who is a very obvious a-hole at the law firm he started with 3 others. But he suddenly dies one day and he is confronted with a host of emotions ranging from denial to anger. He's about to undergo a much more profound experience and when he is told that he has 7 days to put his affairs in order before he's going to be taken away, he has to weigh everything that came before him and everything he came from, in order to realize things about life that will make death bearable, if not good.

If you thought you'd be learning a lot about life and death in this book, you'd be absolutely right. If not learn, you'll be reinforcing the knowledge you already have about life and death, and that's good too. A good, healthy, warm, empathetic reminder of what life is and what death must be seen as. This book is an out-of-body experience in itself. Talking to ghosts and humans, all peacefully coexisting, is a trip that you will be glad to undertake when you settle down and dive into the story.

It's just that...this book made me so emotional that I didn't know what to say about it yesterday when I finished it. I was full of warm, fuzzy feelings. Of hope, love, joy, positivity - there's so much in here that will give you a big tight hug like Mei's.

It takes time and effort, sure, to be a better person, but it's the better option always and it will always be worth it. Wallace Price is proof of that. Because as much as I wanted to punch the a-hole at the beginning, I wanted to hug and comfort him towards the end.

Also, Hugo. The wonderful, wonderful, wonderful man! His mere presence is comforting and he is one of the best characters I've read about this year. And that's all I'm going to say.

Go read this wonderful, warm, eye-opening book. Pronto!

I was so happy to read this book after hearing so many great things about this author and his breakout "The House in the Cerulean Sea." This is a heavy topic covering the afterlife and life cut short, but it is handled in such a gentle way. Technically, a young adult book, it hit all the right notes for an older crowd too. I had just watched Disney's Soul and there was an interesting overlap in these two stories. Recommend!

This book was SO amazing!! Similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, the first 10-15% of the book was quite slow which was hard to get through BUT it just makes the rest of the book stand out as magical and more adventurous compared to the monotony of his life before he dies (similar to THitCS before he goes to the island) - and knowing that it will get really good after the first bit makes me want to keep reading. At the beginning you really aren’t meant to like Wallace but I warmed up to him once he started to become a more likeable character, really changing as the book progresses. The cafe was wonderfully written and you really can picture it the entire time you’re reading! I loved all the characters especially Hugo and Mei and Nelson and Apollo. TJ Klune’s writing draws you into the story and it just felt really warm and comforting. The end was SO emotional and I hoped that there would be a sequel but he tied it up really well in the last chapter or two. This was one of the best books I’ve read this year (and to be honest some of the other top books are other books he wrote!)

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I heard a lot of good things about TJ Klunes writing. So I was expecting a lot, I guess. Actually, I didn't know what I was expecting, until I finished it.
Although, it didn't make it to my expectations, I wasn't disappointed either. It's a sweet read that me feel warm in the end. So no lost!

So, I am a creepy dreamy dreamer, death fascinates me and I tend to romanticize it.
So I loved the book. This heavy subject, became something tackled and overcome in a sweet way. Making death sort of look like a fuzzy plushie. - at least to me-
It also turned me into mush. Because there is a lot of love, and quirkiness and wholesomeness.

This read is one the feelgood reads. The one you can re-read, if you don't feel right, to get a smile back on your lips.

A book about grief, death, and life. Wallace Price is a lawyer, who is dedicated to his work and a bit of a jerk. Then he dies and as he contemplates his funeral a reaper shows up and takes him to a tea shop, that from what he is told is just a stop to the great beyond and once he is ready he can go through it, but Wallace is far from ready, he is going through the stages of grief himself. That's where Hugo, the ferryman, comes in to help him guide Wallace to his acceptance and through the door.

“Because its harder to convince someone of what they need versus what they want. We often ignore the truth because we don't like what it shows us”

I really, really liked this book. First, the reaper, Mei, she was hilarious and lovable, if this ever becomes a movie I think this role would fit Akwafina perfectly, right? She was so sweet and caring but also with a strong attitude and sarcastic, I just enjoyed her character so much. Now, although the concept of this book sounded intriguing, I felt like it didn't have the shock and depth I was hoping for. I somewhat predicted what was going to happen at the end but I still had fun with the journey of the main character that led us to that emotional ending. I understood this was a feel-good, fuzzy and warm book so the ending had to be happy in some way, however it had also intense moments of sadness where I did teared up a little in some chapters and the way this was weaved together with light hearted moments and characters that gave us wisdom and sarcasm made this book very well rounded. What I take from this book is the lovable character and the way the author made me look at death in a different light, it got me thinking that maybe death is only a stop to an even bigger journey.

This book has my whole heart. And I will shamelessly say I just bawled my eyes out to the last two chapters in the best way possible.TJ Klune, you are a masterful author. Moving, thoughtful, THOUGHT-PROVOKING, and touching, Under the Whispering Door gets a million stars from me.

It also is finally released and published in two days so set your alarms! This novel is a TREASURE.

Three sentence synopsis:

Wallace is a miserable, and angry lawyer who dies unexpectedly. After he dies, he enters a way station, a tea house where he will spend his time before he moves on to his final destination. Thats all I can say without ruining it but every character, setting, and plot point, you WILL fall in love with. And there is a dog, Apollo, who made my heart swell throughout the book.

“Life is more then dirty socks.” How does TJ Klune keep doing it? How does one man write the sweetest, smartest, wittiest stories about the toughest emotions we all feel? I love these four characters, I want to visit Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats and I will read anything this man writes.

My god - this book just hits you like a punch to the heart and warning - you WILL cry. No doubt about it.

Wallace Pride died - one minute he was alive and the next minute he was gone. And no one seemed to care. His funeral is attended by a bitter ex-wife, his law firm partners, and… a mysterious stranger. Wallace knows because somehow, he’s there. At his own funeral. And no one can see him, except for the mysterious stranger. Her name is Mei and she is a reaper, here to help Wallace move on to the next part of his journey. Wallace resists, refusing to believe he is dead but is eventually convinced and goes with her.

Mei takes him to a Tea Shop run by Hugo, a ferryman who helps lost spirits cross the final part of their journey through the whispering door. Setting foot in the tea shop takes Wallace on a journey a grief, love, sadness, disbelief, and more. A cast of fascinating characters pepper this story with love and laughter and tears.

I won’t say more than the vague things I’ve said because this book is too special to spoil. It is slow to start, but stick with it. I’m so glad i did. This book is going to help so many people!

I was a little unsure of this book for the first, let's say, 70%, but that last 30 percent really got me. It was beautiful and I loved it.

I was a little unsure of this book for the first, let's say, 70%, but that last 30 percent really got me. It was beautiful and I loved it.

Absolutely love this author. He has such a way of writing these beautiful love stories. Plus all the life lessons in this book. Such a warm and sweet story. Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc for an honest review. The novel follows the main character, Wallace, who’s pretty much a horrible person. He is a workaholic with no family or friends and doesn’t treat those in his life with compassion or respect. Wallace dies unexpectedly and finds himself at his own funeral, where a reaper, Mei, comes to collect him. Wallace is taken to an eccentric house that is running as a local tea shop. The owner is Hugo, a ferryman to souls. His job is to help those who’ve died prepare themselves to move to the next chapter, which involves going through a mysterious door. Upon learning all this, Wallace isn’t ready to leave the living yet. With Hugo’s and Mei’s help (as well as some other ghost spirits) Wallace begins to learn what life is really about.

If your a fan of TJ Klune, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Under the Whispering Door as Klune has a distinct writing style and the book is similar in story telling structure to how The House in the Cerulean Sea was written. It’s important to note that the book is not plot heavy which can make it feel slow and dragged on. While I didn’t have too many issues with this, I imagine that a lot of readers may find it difficult to finish or enjoy. Additionally the book is filled with found family, queer love (bisexual main character), and humor. As the central theme of the novel is about death and grief (also a cw for suicide), I think it’s important to make sure you’re in the right head space before delving in.

After finishing the book, I feel pretty ambivalent about it. I like the premise, the characters and their relationships amongst each other. I also enjoyed bits throughout that were silly and light hearted. The issues I had were mostly attached to the ending of the novel, the execution of the theme, and some character development with the Black and POC characters (specifically Hugo’s character falls into the Magical Negro trope which I discuss in depth later in my review).

The rest of the review will include spoilers.

I didn’t really like the ending for a few reasons
1. Klune’s novels tend to have a clear theme or lesson for the readers to step away with. In all honestly I prefer novels with more nuances when in comes to what the author is trying to tell me. However I actually enjoyed the theme in this book, of accepting your death and moving onto the next phase of your afterlife journey. Except when Wallace finally does this and isn’t afraid, the Manager makes him not dead anymore. I don’t understand the purpose of that? It was a bit predictable to allow the main character to live again. It would’ve been really profound and actually more emotional as a reader if Wallace actually moved into the next phase. He finally found a family and love but he’s dead, and for all the talk in the book about acceptance, they really just abandoned that for Wallace. I understand this was an intentional choice, but I think it contradicts what was laid out throughout the book. Also it’s interesting that Wallace was presented to us as a workaholic in his previous life and then he turns into workaholic in his second life because all anyone does is work (tea shop and helping the dead). Except in the second life it’s not presented as bad because the work he’s doing is consider good and he now has a family.
2. While living, Wallace wasn’t a good person but in death he learns, grows, and becomes a good person which is essentially why the Manager allows him another chance at life. The thing that I didn’t like about this was that the Manager says Wallace is basically the only person in existence to get this gift. I just think that’s really unfair considering he’s a mediocre white man (I’m sorry I had to say it! 😩). Also Wallace realized how horrible he was kind of suddenly, the introspection was pretty instant and makes me wonder why he never cared when he was alive. I get that dying puts things into perspective but I think I would’ve enjoyed more character exploration. For example, I don’t really know why he was horrible while alive. I guess it’s hard for me to have compassion for powerful, white men who are horrible.

The last thing I had issues with was the character development. All the characters were pretty one dimensional. This was troubling considering two of the characters are Black and one character is Chinese American. Without further development it felt like they were falling into stereotypes. I don’t think this was Klune’s intention but that’s just my opinion and speculation, I obviously don’t know what his thought process was. I did see there was sensitivity readers for the novel, so I’m curious who they were and what the feedback was, if they gave any.

Hugo and Mei only work - and that’s honestly the extent of who they are. They have great personalities, but do nothing outside of work. They don’t do anything besides run a tea shop everyday and help ghosts move to the next life. Thats so much emotional labor to constantly be doing.

There’s one instance that Mei talks about her identity- she mentions that she’s been able to see ghosts since she was young and her mom didn’t help her seek help because her mom wanted to be a normal American. A piece of the text reads, “China in the twentieth century was filled with war and famine, oppression and violence...My mom wanted to escape it all. She wanted fireworks on the Fourth of July and picket fences." Now this isn’t an abnormal experience for immigrants to want to assimilate. However this can be an issue if that’s the only time the character discusses their identity. The connection to race, ethnicity, and culture identity follows a person in their everyday life. And when the only time a character speaks about their identity is in a negative way (and no nuances) it plays into stereotypes.

With Hugo, his character falls into the Magical Negro stereotype. Maybe someone reading this doesn’t know what the Magical Negro stereotype is, so here’s a definition from Wikipedia: “The Magical Negro is a supporting stock character who comes to the aid of white protagonists in a film. Magical Negro characters, who often possess special insight or mystical powers, have long been a tradition in American fiction.” And well, Hugo is Black, magical, and helping a white man. He’s given the opportunity from the Manager (who presents himself as a white child) to work as a Ferryman (mystical powers), who’s job is to help ghosts come to terms with their death and move to the next stage (aids white protagonist). I’d like to emphasis that this is an abnormal job. And it’s interesting because there’s a conversation about how this is a horrible job.. to deal with death almost everyday. Except Hugo is constantly emphasizing that this was his choice. I think there should be a lot more discussion from readers about what this is telling us? To me its coming across as saying it’s this Black man’s choice to be this harmful stereotype. Whether it was intentional or unintentional by the author it’s still important to discuss. Further, as Wallace is being aided by Hugo, he jokes throughout the novel that Hugo is acting like a therapist. Could Hugo remain as he is in the novel and not fall into the archetype of the Magical Negro? Maybe.. But as I’ve mentioned before he can’t remain a one dimensional character. Like what’s his experience as a Black, gay man? I really couldn’t tell you based on this version of the novel. What does he enjoy to do outside of the tea shop (his job) and being a Ferryman (his job)? Does he have relationships outside of the characters presented in the novel? I’d love to see more people talking about this because right now I’m not seeing the majority of readers discussing it, and there might be stuff I’m missing and more to say about it.

Under the Whispering Door is a beautifully written story about grief, death and what comes after. The story is filled with quirky characters that you will fall in love with. It’s a book that will make you laugh, smile and cry. Death can be a very sad and depressing subject, but Klune sheds a new light, one that is whimsical, thought provoking and heartwarming. My one complaint is I thought that it was a little too drawn out, but other than that I really enjoyed it. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea then this is a must read for you.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.