But the stand-out features of the book are its depiction of a life examined, its handling of grief, and the sensitive way in which it assesses suicide and depression. There are four central players in the piece, including Hugo’s grandfather, who adds some of the book’s lighter moments. The opening setup is excellent it pulls you in and keeps you wanting to learn more about Wallace, Mei, and Hugo.Ĭharacterization is strong. I found the middle third a little leaden, but this dissatisfaction is far outweighed by the many things that I did enjoy about the book. I must confess the book didn’t always thrill me. One shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the strange balancing house on the front of the book drew me to it. Under the Whispering Door probably isn’t the sort of book that I would normally read.

And work it does! Why Read Under the Whispering Door? In many ways, it feels like the premise ought not to work-“The After-life in a Twin Peaks cafe.” On second thought, maybe that sounds exactly like it should work. Finally, there is the question of exactly what lies “ Under the Whispering Door.”Īuthor TJ Klune weaves all his threads into an emotionally affecting whole.

The novel has some romance elements, brought about by Wallace’s enlightenment and bitter-sweet core that melds romantic comedy with an examination of the pain of suicide and the loss of a child. Then we have a fascinating life-after-death mythology with the tea shop and its custodian, Hugo, who also acts as the guide across the river to whatever comes next. There’s a lot going on here.įirst up, we have a Good Place type scenario where Wallace learns more about life whilst dead than he ever realized when he was alive. It might just about pass off as paranormal romance, but that doesn’t remotely do it justice. Under the Whispering Door is hard to categorize. She leads him to a peculiar tea shop in small-town America, a place Wallace wouldn’t want to be caught dead in. Wallace is surprised to discover that life continues after death, only nobody can see or hear him, except a young woman called Mei. It is only after death that he realizes what he was missing. Workaholic attorney Wallace Price dies alone and unlamented, a hardass unliked by all. Under the Whispering Door is a tale of redemption after death.

Under the whispering door