BOOK REVIEW: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

A powerful story of love, life, death and loss

Like so many others, I read and LOVED The House on the Cerulean Sea. Loved it to the point that it was my favorite read of 2021! The characters just became part of me, the setting was magical and whimsical, and everything about the lessons pulled from the story were perfect life lessons. With such high expectations, I put off reading this book because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the high standards. I had read a few mixed reviews and that just made me push this book further down on the TBR pile.

But, the mood finally hit me, so I picked it up and never looked back. I loved this book. I will say that it wasn’t quite up to the level as Cerulean Sea, but OMG, I can't believe I waited so long to read it. However, it is definitely a book that you have to be ready for. It addresses death in many different ways. I mean, death is ultimately what this book is about. It’s about learning to live after death. I know that sounds bizarre, but it really makes you realize the importance of living your life right now; not putting things off; appreciating what you have and taking a step back to actually recognize it.

 Life is a fragile thing, and we never know what tomorrow holds. Heck, we don’t know what the next 60 seconds hold. We need to be the person today that we want to be tomorrow.

Typically I wait until the end of my reviews to pull the meaning out, but for this book the meaning IS the book. It IS the story. It IS the characters. Oh, Wallace Price! We meet Wallace and immediately hate him! Seriously, he is the most egotistical, arrogant, narcissistic lawyer. Think of every stereotypical trait of a tyrannical lawyer, and it applies to Wallace Price. Which means, even though he doesn’t have a heart, he’s very successful.

This all changes when he suffers a heart attack and dies. Yep, that’s pretty much how we start the book. The main character dies. (This isn’t a spoiler, by the way.) Now the story can actually begin.

We are quickly introduced to Mei. She is by far my favorite character. As a reaper, she must deal with Wallace and his amazingly pleasant personality to take him to Hugo, the ferryman, who will see Wallace through the door to whatever comes after death. The pair of Hugo and Mei .. oh my, be still my heart. I will say that it took me several chapters to figure out if they were dead or alive, but I figured it would be really hard to run a fully functional and popular tea shop if they were dead.

Hugo and Mei, the two other critical characters in this story, are a team, working to help those who find themselves newly dead to move on. Their balance of each other is like a yin and yang. Mei is clearly younger, new to her “position” and very outspoken. I love her punkish attitude and her tempter, especially when Desdemona pops her obnoxious head into the tea shop. On the flip side, Hugo is very introverted and you can just tell that he feels strongly and internalizes emotions. 

As the story progresses, you really see the depth of commitment and emotion that Hugo is faced with (as well as Mei). They share many stories with Wallace as they wait for him to be read to go through the door. This at times was hard to read. There is murder, cancer and suicide. The stories attached to how Mei and Hugo had to handle these people was at times heartbreaking but each one impacted who they are at this moment in their lives.

The secondary characters of Nelson, Apollo (the beloved, dead dog), Nancy, Cameron, The Manager and Alan are all beautifully created with care and passion. Their roles all intersect to bring Wallace and Hugo meaning, closure, and ultimately hope and purpose. But, all the characters received the closure and ending that they needed. Well, I’m not sure about The Manager, that was an odd character. His role in “managing” Hugo and Mei made me feel at times that he was jealous of what they had and were able to do.

The setting was simple, but well developed. Ninety percent of the book takes place in Charon’s Crossing (the tea shop), a four story feat of modern architecture if you think about how it is described. But it was perfect. The tea garden and the deck that overlooks it were the needed balance to the, at times, chaos of emotions that fills the interior.

My only real negative thoughts, and they are not that overly negative, would be the confusion of the rules that govern the world. I found some of them a little confusing. There were no ideas that were really committed to or even clearly portrayed.. I’m pretty sure that this was by design, to show that death is different for everyone, and we technically don’t exactly know what comes next. But, I just found it a little weird at times. However, while the book is focused on death and ghosts, the book does not delve into the fantastical elements of a traditional fantasy. The fact that there are ghosts is secondary to the delivery of the story of love, hope and second chances.

Where does the book land on my bookshelf?

Top shelf without a doubt! There were moments that were emotionally hard to read, especially with Nancy’s story. My husband has leukemia, and I will be the first to tell you that while he is doing well and on the path to remission, it is very hard to read about cancer or even watch TV and movies with a cancer angle, but TJ Klune handled the all topics with passion and grace and authenticity. I read an interview with Klune when I was about halfway through the book where he shared some information about this story. He himself was grieving the loss of someone he loved and this book was part of his process through that pain. That comes through in how he focuses on these characters, especially in the powerful impact of removing physical contact. But, he also said that he likes writing happy endings. I won’t give the ending away, but I will say that I was about half correct in what I thought was going to happen and I was very happy and satisfied!

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it. It is important to recognize the triggers in here, and to make sure that you are in the right frame of mind. But, I found it to be a powerful story with an equally powerful message about life and living.

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