Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
CW: Death, suicide, murder, death of a child, microaggressions, abuse of power, depression, panic attacks, grief
5/5
This book absolutely lives up to the hype! I've always been resistant to things that are super popular, but I'm willing to give most things a go eventually. For Under the Whispering Door, I wanted to read it as soon as I saw the cover, but had to wait a few months for it to be my turn on Overdrive. It was worth the wait as well.
In this book, Wallace Price dies early on only to find out that he is now a ghost. He was not a sympathetic man in life, embodying all the worst stereotypes of lawyers. When a reaper approaches him and takes him to an impossible tea shop where a ferryman awaits, his afterlife becomes much more interesting than his life. This tea shop is a way station before whatever lies beyond the door. The ferryman's name is Hugo and he is extremely empathetic, rather patient, and exactly Wallace's type. Together with the rest of their found family, they break expectations and take intense risks.
The themes and events of this book can be a lot at times, but they are balanced out with humor, affection, hope, and beautiful imagery. Although everyone becomes a ghost when they die, it's different for each person. This is especially due to how they die. Under the Whispering Door touches upon heart attacks, death of children, suicide, and murder. Hugo does his best to help people, but not everything is in his control. He has anxiety and guilt which are both handled very well by the author. This book is very respectful and written in a highly engaging way. The epilogue is one of the longest ones I have ever encountered, giving the reader time to say goodbye to the characters. The only part that had me cringing was with the fake medium. Although I do believe it was meant to.
This book had me thinking a lot about the ways of the world, free will, love, and morals. It had me laughing at work and holding back tears in bed. It's not just the story and the content that makes this book wonderful, it's the writing style too. You can feel the essence of every character, know exactly where these characters are, and easily keep track of what's going on. I also appreciate that no matter how heavy the topic is, Klune doesn't get too graphic. I'm certainly going to be reading Klune's other books as soon as I can get my hands on them.
Kirt Graves, the reader for Under the Whispering Door really adds something to the story. If you don't choose to listen to it, you are missing out on something. Graves truly understands how sentences were meant to be read. His voices make a lot of sense, I can tell who each person is when he reads it. Plus, Graves actually pronounced the name Naomi correctly! This is not always the case in audiobooks.
If you're getting this book from the library, you may have to be patient, but I still recommend you read it. What're a few months in the face of eternity?
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