katthorson's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Energy. Life. Death. All of it. We rise and we fall and the we rise once more. We're all on different paths, but death doesn't discriminate. It comes for everyone."
This book was truly wonderful and at the moment I have no words for it. Klune has a profound way of touching his readers, especially when it comes to heavy topics. Death, is such a touchy and taboo subject for many of us. It's unknown, scary, we question what is after and what was even before. How Klune was able to calm those fears is beyond me. He bring's in his own perspective of death and it's so hauntingly charming...if that can even be a thing.
"What makes a good person? Hugo asked. "Actions? Motivations? Selflessness?"
"Maybe all of it," Wallace said. "Or maybe none of it."
This book also touches on the subject of "what does it mean to live a full life?" and "what does it mean to be a good person?". The main character, Wallace Price, is none of these things when we first meet him. He is a corporate businessman who cares more about making the next buck than if his employees are being treated fairly. He lives a strict life, on schedule and never late. Yet, the evolution of Wallace is beautiful to watch as he accepts his death and the life he really did not live.
I became so invested in these characters, this world. I found myself crying in laughter and in sorrow. So many difficult and traumatizing subjects come to light and yet it puts perspective into things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Animal death
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Cursing
batwinggoth's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The book has a slow start, but the delivery of main character's struggles and inner monologue are written whimsically and humorous which is a great balance to the dark and heavy themes of the novel. The characters are all written well with great detail to each. The story's narrative is well encompassing of both predictable story progression and the pleasantly unexpected that pull you even deeper into the story being told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Car accident, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Self harm
The book is centered around dead people and meeting people from all walks of life as they die in various ways - understanding and helping them process their dead and pass. Most characters are complicated and real with great detail of their emotions, feelings, and inner dialogue and they process their life and what happened to them or what they're currently going through. There's a childSpoiler
who died from terminal illness whose mother is actively grieving and constantly visiting the tea shop (central setting of the book).Spoiler
murdered in an ally who recounts his death and expresses his extreme anger drastically.Spoiler
by his parents and experiences a sudden loss of his partner in the hospital and ends up dying by suicide due to his overwhelming grief.Spoiler
is only in reference to a man and a woman who visit their tea shop often and constantly hits on Hugo in inappropriate ways and in one instance the man even says he'll 'wear him down' despite Hugo already rejecting him multiple times.Spoiler
is only mentioned because a main character, Apollo, is a ghost dog who had passed.the_crooked_neighbor's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The author gives fair warning of all the triggers but I really wanted to read it given how much I liked House on the Cerulean Sea. I should not have read this book. But I did so here is my review. It is really slow to start and then moves with the anxious pace that Wallace himself feels at the end. It was hard for me to get through because of how long it took to get into. If you can get past the hard topics and the slow beginning I do think it pays off to some degree.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Child death, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Body horror
stellarheroics's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer
keen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book made me tear up several times. TJ Klune has a wonderful way of writing characters that start off unlikeable and grow better through their interactions with kind and patient people. It really shows that most can become better if given the time and care, even if it takes a long time. Aside from showing this skill in this book, he's also shown it in The House on the Cerulean Sea, the first book I've read from him. Speaking of that book, he certainly shows he likes the word "cerulean" in this story.
I also appreciate him for creating a story where LGBTQ+ people aren't questioned. That's always refreshing to see. There are many stories about LGBTQ+ experiencing bigotry, either as the entire story or slice of it. Those stories are important, but I prefer to experience a world where it's simply accepted as another part of humanity.
And let me say, this artist has shown the perfect way to give a content warning. This is a book that deals with a heavy subject intrinsic to human life and shows how important it is for people to be aware of what they're going to read. It's at the start of the book under Author Notes, being quick to the point by explaining the themes.
The note: "This story explores life and love as well as loss and grief. There are discussions of death in different forms—quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide. Please read with care."
CW: Suicide Discussion
I also appreciate him for creating a story where LGBTQ+ people aren't questioned. That's always refreshing to see. There are many stories about LGBTQ+ experiencing bigotry, either as the entire story or slice of it. Those stories are important, but I prefer to experience a world where it's simply accepted as another part of humanity.
And let me say, this artist has shown the perfect way to give a content warning. This is a book that deals with a heavy subject intrinsic to human life and shows how important it is for people to be aware of what they're going to read. It's at the start of the book under Author Notes, being quick to the point by explaining the themes.
The note: "This story explores life and love as well as loss and grief. There are discussions of death in different forms—quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide. Please read with care."
CW: Suicide Discussion
Spoiler
On a more personal note, as someone with chronic depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety disorders, I've never seen those subjects written with such care and empathy. I was fully ready to be disappointed when the subject would come up by criticizing people for being in a bad place, judging them for "throwing away their lives" and "not being strong enough." I was pleasantly surprised to see TJ Klune show that those comments are some of the worst ways to react to someone's suffering. He instead presents more empathetic ways to respond to people's illnesses and choices that don't blame them for how they feel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Mental illness, and Murder
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
sennaje's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
novelty_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
TW: Death (mentioned, never graphically shown), passing on, emotional abuse (mentioned), suicide (mentioned), death of parent/s (mentioned), brain damage
In The House In The Cerulean Sea, Seanan McGuire wrote "This book is very close to perfect."
If only they read Under the Whispering Door.
This book is faultless. I cannot flaw it at all. I cannot even put into words just how much I loved this world, the story, the characters and the thoughtful ways T.J Klune wrote about passing on. The story made me contemplate so many things pertaining to life and death, it also made me smile, laugh and at times, it even got my eyes filling up with tears from the sheer emotion riveting off the pages.
Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace Price, a cold hearted partner of a very successful law firm. He has the world in his hands until, one day, his heart gives up and he finds himself at his own funeral where he is told he is dead. He gets taken to Charon's Crossing, a stop-over for ghosts like him to pass over into the next stage of their life.
We quickly meet Hugo, Nelson, Apollo and Mei, all characters who, like Wallace, I didn't necessarily like at the start. But also, similarly to Wallace, I ended up loving them at the end. I believe my connection or relationship to the characters mirrored Wallace's which I think was intentional to show the subtle changes in how Wallace viewed the world and situation around him. I loved how it also was done in such an unnoticeable way that I didn't even know my perceptions of the characters were changing. That in itself is a testament to the calibre of T.J Klune's writing.
Wallace was my favourite character. His characterisation jumped off the page from the very start. He was unique and fun to read about even when he was alive and grouchy. Some of his dialogue got me laughing out loud especially during the funeral scene. Poor Wallace, it was unfortunate that only five people showed up for the ceremony.
Nelson became my second favourite character (although to be fair, he tied with Hugo, Mei, Apollo, Cameron and Desdemona). I found him annoying at first but he quickly grew on me with his practical jokes and how he got everyone fooled (me included) when he first met Wallace in Charon's Crossing. With Mei, I wasn't sure I'd like her that much but she also grew on me too especially with her death metal music that "was enough to raise the dead." I loved seeing her backstory and her off-page relationship with her mother. I felt empathetic towards her and I think that scene only made me love her badass character even more.
Hugo had a really sad backstory that made me cry at times. Especially with Lea and Nancy. I'll leave that area spoiler free but if you're not crying by the end of that passage, you haven't read the book right. Cameron, although appearing only briefly in the book, was responsible for one of the most powerful scenes in Under the Whispering Door, I teared up and I loved how Klune incorporated flashbacks into his narrative. I was so impressed with the ending of Cameron's arc and I was happy he got what he wanted in the end. I hope he found who he was looking for.
The other element I found interesting was the way the story was told in general. The book covered a lot of heavy themes such as death, dying and passing on but never was it dark or difficult to read about. It was told both in philosophical ways yet with a lightheartedness and humour that helped make this book a feel-good read. But death wasn't just what this book was about. It was about family, living and making use of the time you have left. Making sure that you lived a life worth dying for.
Under the Whispering Door is a book that is as close to perfection as you can get. It's one of my favourites–if not, my favourite read of 2021 so far and I would recommend it highly to everyone. If you've read The House In the Cerulean Sea and enjoyed it, I think you'll like this just as or even more.
(note: I recommend you read The House in the Cerulean Sea before reading Under the Whispering Door, there are some minor references to THITCS but I reckon you can still enjoy the book without reading it).
ACTUAL RATING: 5 STARS
TW: Death (mentioned, never graphically shown), passing on, emotional abuse (mentioned), suicide (mentioned), death of parent/s (mentioned), brain damage
In The House In The Cerulean Sea, Seanan McGuire wrote "This book is very close to perfect."
If only they read Under the Whispering Door.
This book is faultless. I cannot flaw it at all. I cannot even put into words just how much I loved this world, the story, the characters and the thoughtful ways T.J Klune wrote about passing on. The story made me contemplate so many things pertaining to life and death, it also made me smile, laugh and at times, it even got my eyes filling up with tears from the sheer emotion riveting off the pages.
Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace Price, a cold hearted partner of a very successful law firm. He has the world in his hands until, one day, his heart gives up and he finds himself at his own funeral where he is told he is dead. He gets taken to Charon's Crossing, a stop-over for ghosts like him to pass over into the next stage of their life.
We quickly meet Hugo, Nelson, Apollo and Mei, all characters who, like Wallace, I didn't necessarily like at the start. But also, similarly to Wallace, I ended up loving them at the end. I believe my connection or relationship to the characters mirrored Wallace's which I think was intentional to show the subtle changes in how Wallace viewed the world and situation around him. I loved how it also was done in such an unnoticeable way that I didn't even know my perceptions of the characters were changing. That in itself is a testament to the calibre of T.J Klune's writing.
Wallace was my favourite character. His characterisation jumped off the page from the very start. He was unique and fun to read about even when he was alive and grouchy. Some of his dialogue got me laughing out loud especially during the funeral scene. Poor Wallace, it was unfortunate that only five people showed up for the ceremony.
Nelson became my second favourite character (although to be fair, he tied with Hugo, Mei, Apollo, Cameron and Desdemona). I found him annoying at first but he quickly grew on me with his practical jokes and how he got everyone fooled (me included) when he first met Wallace in Charon's Crossing. With Mei, I wasn't sure I'd like her that much but she also grew on me too especially with her death metal music that "was enough to raise the dead." I loved seeing her backstory and her off-page relationship with her mother. I felt empathetic towards her and I think that scene only made me love her badass character even more.
Hugo had a really sad backstory that made me cry at times. Especially with Lea and Nancy. I'll leave that area spoiler free but if you're not crying by the end of that passage, you haven't read the book right. Cameron, although appearing only briefly in the book, was responsible for one of the most powerful scenes in Under the Whispering Door, I teared up and I loved how Klune incorporated flashbacks into his narrative. I was so impressed with the ending of Cameron's arc and I was happy he got what he wanted in the end. I hope he found who he was looking for.
The other element I found interesting was the way the story was told in general. The book covered a lot of heavy themes such as death, dying and passing on but never was it dark or difficult to read about. It was told both in philosophical ways yet with a lightheartedness and humour that helped make this book a feel-good read. But death wasn't just what this book was about. It was about family, living and making use of the time you have left. Making sure that you lived a life worth dying for.
Under the Whispering Door is a book that is as close to perfection as you can get. It's one of my favourites–if not, my favourite read of 2021 so far and I would recommend it highly to everyone. If you've read The House In the Cerulean Sea and enjoyed it, I think you'll like this just as or even more.
(note: I recommend you read The House in the Cerulean Sea before reading Under the Whispering Door, there are some minor references to THITCS but I reckon you can still enjoy the book without reading it).
ACTUAL RATING: 5 STARS
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, and Grief
More...