Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things.”
Under the Whispering Door is about death, life, and relationships. We are introduced to Wallace, a self-important ass of a lawyer, at the start of the story and we quickly learn what he is all about. He then dies and this is where the story really starts. We follow his journey through all his anger, grief, and acceptance while learning about this group of people (living and dead) that inhabit his life. It mostly takes place in this tea shop in the middle of the woods that seems cozy and such a perfect place to hang out. There are plenty of characters to love and also a few to have other strong feelings about. I was unsure how it was going to finish but it ended up surprising me how well it was wrapped up.
I started out very wary about this book as I was not sure the direction it would take or how it was finally going to end. In the beginning I got a sense of the idea feeling similar to A Christmas Carol which in small ways it did, yes. We do have this curmudgeonly man who endures a journey not of his choosing and is given a chance to reflect. Wallace did grate on me and I found myself losing patience with him initially. The story could have been a copy and paste but TJ Klune did a good job of setting it apart and making it his own. First off, this is a queer story and I am here for it. You aren’t sure when the story starts off because of the mention of an ex-wife but then subtle hints are dropped like having the same taste in men. There are multiple points where it was mentioned and just outright queer love is completely transparent. A sign in the shop reads “Guys, Gals, & Our Nonbinary Pals.” We definitely need more of these stories. There was also this sitcom-like quality to a lot of the scenes. There was quippy responses and slapstick like occurrences and it felt like just pure fun. I did laugh out loud at several points, especially reading a scene where a séance unfolds. There was heart and soul to this novel as well. There were sad moments that were touching. There were heartwarming and uplifting parts too. In general, I do not like stories that involve ghosts but this one was an exception. It was a beautiful story and I do recommend people read it.
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