I have been extremely fortunate to read some fantastic books lately. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is one of them. Although, once again, this is another book that is really hard to describe without giving away too much.
When our main character, Wallace, finds himself at his own funeral, he is quite confused. Enter Mei, the reaper. Her job is to escort him to the tea house to meet Hugo, the ferryman. Seems a bit bizarre, doesn’t it? Don’t worry; it’s worth it.
Despite being a novel about death, and what (may) happen after, the heart of this novel is about living. Wallace learns lessons in death about what he missed during his life and who he wants to be going forward. It’s a story of loss, love, courage, and finding yourself.
I found this to be a compelling read; it’s heartwarming, touching, and fantastical. If you don’t mind a bit of whimsy and supernatural in your books, I highly recommend this one.
After reading this and Klune’s earlier book The House in the Cerulean Sea, I’m wondering what he has against “management”. In both novels, management is depicted in a very negative light, almost as caricatures of a stereotypical bad manager/boss. It’s comical, but a little overdone. This is perhaps the only negative I have to say about either book.