Under the Whispering Door book review

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
Published by Tor Books on September 21, 2021
Pages: 373
Goodreads

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.

I was a massive fan of The House on the Cerulean Sea, in fact it was one of my favourite books of 2021 so I was so excited to see Under the Whispering Door and jumped at the chance to read it. I went into the story having very little idea on what it was actually about so I enjoyed all the twists and turns organically. What I will say is that although it was a good read it didn’t overtake The House on the Cerulean Sea for me, there was just something that THONCS had that this one was missing.

Characters in Under the Whispering Door

We follow Wallace who unfortunately has a heart attack and dies, he is then transported into a world of reapers and ghosts and not quite knowing where he stands. A real scrooge when he was alive Wallace begins to learn the real meaning of life and love all the while working out where he truly belongs. I think the characters in Under the Whispering Door have some beautiful qualities, each bringing something new and exciting to the table and adding a whole new level to the story. Watching someone transition from a life where they are completely in control into a death where nothing is set is a really hard thing to accomplish and Klune has done it wonderfully all the way through this book.

I will say I struggled slightly with the romance and relationship elements of the book, I feel as though they were a little forced and I wasn’t quite sure where it had come from. It wasn’t as organic as I would have liked and there didn’t seem to be too much that the characters had in common in order for the relationship to grow. That being said, watching this found family grow and become stronger within each other was heartwarming and such a wonderful addition to the story.

Good and Bad

For me the good is always going to be the writing style and the setting. Something about this book feels warm and cozy, almost as though you’re sipping tea in the tea shop and enjoying the different characters going by. I think there is a beauty to Klune’s writing that is really understated and well written. The way that Charon’s Crossing (the tea shop) is described made me fall completely in love with the place and made me want to jump right in there, death or not. I also think there was a really good balance with the characters, the spunky Mei and the calm headed Hugo, it was just a recipe for a great read and great book. They all complimented each other with their reactions and need for each other. I just fell in love.

The bad, and another reason this book did not score a full five stars would be that in some places the story felt a little preachy and as though it was trying too hard. I think there was a good message to be had from the story but it felt a little pushed and frustrating at times. The ending would have had more of an impact if there hadn’t been such a self-righteous push at the end.

Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this book. I loved the story, I thought it was a different take on the afterlife. There were some really great moments and overall I really enjoyed the book and the story. I think Klune is going to become an auto buy author for me at this point.

Have you read this one? Do you think it deserves all the hype? What was your favourite? Let me know in the comments!