Most readers find that nothing is more charismatic and romantic than finding two opposites who attract. But is a love story still possible between the living and the dead? Under the Whispering Door presents a fantastical plot and posits the idea of what’s beyond our life and what it takes to build a home.
Under the Whispering Door: Synopsis
Wallace Prince is dead, but he is not ready to abandon his life he spent at the office. Convinced that he still has a lot to do, Wallace refuses to accept the truth even as a reaper comes to collect him from his own funeral. Wallace is then brought to Hugo, a ferryman-slash-the owner of a tea shop, who promises to help him cross over.
Wallace is welcomed to Charon’s Crossing, which was inspired by Greek Mythology! Given one week to cross over to the other side, Wallace begins to live a lifetime in seven days. How will he spend his days when he’s barely lived his life as it is?
Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.
Under the Whispering Door: A Fantasy About Love
We will all die eventually. However, our understanding of what comes after death varies between people, cultures and places. TJ Klune brings us a fantasy idea about what goes on beyond death and one’s bereavement, complete with a reaper, a ferryman, husks, and ghosts.Wallace’s afterlife adventure is presented as merely a beginning to a new chapter. Thus the story maintains a hopeful tone throughout his voyage, despite the heavy themes of death and suicide.
The old yet charming tea shop plays the main venue of the book, and where the meat of the story takes place. Tea is constantly served-and that’s whether you are alive or dead. I think Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats has a nice ring to it, and the setting basically becomes another character in this strange and unusual tale.
It’s never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.
Time waits for no one. Once you’re dead, there’s nothing you can do to relive the life you missed. This is true now that the time has stop for Wallace Price, a terrible and fearsome lawyer while he was living. The time Wallace spends living is briefly covered, and I would have loved to have had a little more of it sprinkled in throughout the rest of the novel. I appreciate the glimpses we did get, but wanted more to really give a sense of Wallace’s character arc.
The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family.
TJ Klune previous widely successful book The House in the Cerulean Sea features the most perfectly imperfect family unit. I expected nothing less this time around, but I was a little disappointed this time around.
Aside from Hugo, Wallace’s companions include by Mei–the reaper, Nelson, Hugo’s grandad, and Apollo, Hugo’s dog. His relationship with Nelson was the most convincing and real to me. The way that they initially despise one another spoke to me from the start, and blossomed into a beautiful love for these characters.
Under the Whispering Door: Final Thoughts
There is something recognizable in every character of this story. Wallace’s development was spot on and a remarkable read. The story’s pacing could have been improved, but the characters made up for this. An interesting and quirky read, Under the Whispering Door is a fantasy for anyone who has ever wondered, what happens when we’re finished with this life?
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The Review
Under the Whispering Door is TJ Klune's second adult novel that deals with death, grief and living. Although the story has its noticeable flaws, I admired the author for writing such a heartfelt story.
PROS
- First chapters
- Main character development
- Interesting take on death
CONS
- Slow-paced progression of the story
- Lengthy paragraphs
- Rushed romance
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