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chelseylb1988's review against another edition
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kathleenivy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
jadencove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
gummifrog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Under the Whispering Door starts with an introduction of Wallace, a character I described to multiple people as "a caricature of Ebenezer Scrooge," who dies and realizes that he totally missed finding meaning and importance over the course of his actual life. Not ready to move on, he forges a deep family connection with his Reaper and Ferryman, the two people who are meant to deliver him to the afterlife, as well as a couple other quirky resident ghosts.
I felt the summary for this book is misleading. The premise is not really "man is given 7 days to live a life after death," but more like, "man spends several months bettering himself and falling in love with what it is to be human, and then is suddenly given 7 days to say goodbye to the relationships that have finally given his life meaning." The plot is very slow burn, but it's full of heart and emotion. You really fall in love with Wallace and with the other characters that he meets.
Not to mention, this book is SO funny. TJ Klune brings incredible levity to a book about death. I was literally doubling over in laughter at some parts - and I never do that! It's not, like, wrinkle-your-nose-haha-so-literary-weird-funny, but oh-my-god-I-am-going-to-die-of-laughter funny. It has so many highs and lows, and I got a bit teary towards the end.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it took a while to grow on me at the beginning. In its defense, I was recovering from a book hangover, so I'm not sure if it was the writing or the book.
Also! I read it on audio, and the narrator was incredible in both delivery and voice acting. If you tend towards audiobooks, this one was really well done!
I felt the summary for this book is misleading. The premise is not really "man is given 7 days to live a life after death," but more like, "man spends several months bettering himself and falling in love with what it is to be human, and then is suddenly given 7 days to say goodbye to the relationships that have finally given his life meaning." The plot is very slow burn, but it's full of heart and emotion. You really fall in love with Wallace and with the other characters that he meets.
Not to mention, this book is SO funny. TJ Klune brings incredible levity to a book about death. I was literally doubling over in laughter at some parts - and I never do that! It's not, like, wrinkle-your-nose-haha-so-literary-weird-funny, but oh-my-god-I-am-going-to-die-of-laughter funny. It has so many highs and lows, and I got a bit teary towards the end.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it took a while to grow on me at the beginning. In its defense, I was recovering from a book hangover, so I'm not sure if it was the writing or the book.
Also! I read it on audio, and the narrator was incredible in both delivery and voice acting. If you tend towards audiobooks, this one was really well done!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content
erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
I read this book as the book of the month April 2023 for the Lighthouse Library Fiction Book Club.
What happens when an utter jerk falls down dead and nobody cares? It sounds like the setup for an off-colour joke but that is the basic premise of this book. This is a redemption story that I haven't seen the like of since, The Good Place. It's not quite as funny, but definitely moving in places.
This story had me in tears from about chapter 17. In some ways I felt a bit like I was being played. There were corny asides and comedic beats (because who doesn't love an irreverent ghost dog that ghost-pees on oblivious mean people)
interwoven with the hard sob-stories, passionate regrets, rage, and loss, and failure, and grief. It felt like these hard emotions were all pulled out into the light like boxes of old photos long hidden under the bed. *cough*crying? not me.. NO... just allergic to uhm, dust *sniffle*
The characters in the story are of diverse ethnicity, and that's a Thing.. it does affect their lives, but is not the hook of who they are, so I think that was quite considerately managed. They are also of diverse ages, and that makes things a little more interesting. There is a definite LGBT thing that, from looking at comments from other readers, is not picked up by many readers until later in the plot. Although it's cute (and Narrator, Kirt Graves, makes the tea-shop owner, Hugo sound like a Black Keanu Reeves) it feels like some of the character development and friendship-building is a little hurried along. I felt like the man we meet at the start of the book is unredeemable, and yet Klune metaphorically scales a seemingly insurmountable wall, attempting to do just that. This is a story that tells of a world where God, as humans conceive of it, is not an accurate depiction of how the universe runs, but there are "powers that be".
This story has an author's content warning on the start of the book. It does deal with death, and suicide, and a bunch of really hard topics. That makes it feel like a bit of a therapy piece (the line "you're not my Therapist!" comes up a few times). It's a fun book if you feel like you can wade into some really emotional topics, and have a spare box of tissues handy.
What happens when an utter jerk falls down dead and nobody cares? It sounds like the setup for an off-colour joke but that is the basic premise of this book. This is a redemption story that I haven't seen the like of since, The Good Place. It's not quite as funny, but definitely moving in places.
This story had me in tears from about chapter 17. In some ways I felt a bit like I was being played. There were corny asides and comedic beats (because who doesn't love an irreverent ghost dog that ghost-pees on oblivious mean people)
interwoven with the hard sob-stories, passionate regrets, rage, and loss, and failure, and grief. It felt like these hard emotions were all pulled out into the light like boxes of old photos long hidden under the bed. *cough*crying? not me.. NO... just allergic to uhm, dust *sniffle*
The characters in the story are of diverse ethnicity, and that's a Thing.. it does affect their lives, but is not the hook of who they are, so I think that was quite considerately managed. They are also of diverse ages, and that makes things a little more interesting. There is a definite LGBT thing that, from looking at comments from other readers, is not picked up by many readers until later in the plot. Although it's cute (and Narrator, Kirt Graves, makes the tea-shop owner, Hugo sound like a Black Keanu Reeves) it feels like some of the character development and friendship-building is a little hurried along. I felt like the man we meet at the start of the book is unredeemable, and yet Klune metaphorically scales a seemingly insurmountable wall, attempting to do just that. This is a story that tells of a world where God, as humans conceive of it, is not an accurate depiction of how the universe runs, but there are "powers that be".
This story has an author's content warning on the start of the book. It does deal with death, and suicide, and a bunch of really hard topics. That makes it feel like a bit of a therapy piece (the line "you're not my Therapist!" comes up a few times). It's a fun book if you feel like you can wade into some really emotional topics, and have a spare box of tissues handy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
mooped_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
mara_rose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.25
I laughed and I cried. This was such an excellent book overall. The writing and characters were some of my favourite of all time. I almost gave this a 5* review until I got to the last 25%....the end wasn't my favourite, kind of dragged on and was bulldozed by a change of direction in the storyline.
It became slap you in the face LGBTQ+ romance story. It was subtle, yet obvious in the beginning, something that made you think about it and also appreciate it. I feel like the culture these days forces you to rub your nose in it to "see it in a positive way", rather than in a more natural accepting way, the first 3/4 did a very good job at that. Kind of like how the manager forces the people in the story through the door, rather than helping them go to it on their own.
To be honest that "romantic" aspect really came out of nowhere, didn't add much value and kind of distracted me from the story. It really disappointed me as I think it could have been done differently for this book. I'm not opposed to a queer romance and feel that even if it were a heterosexual romance, it was too in your face and out of place. The whole naked tour of the bedroom part really had me saying WTF. I would have preferred the subtle thoughtful interpretation of the relationship between Wallace and Hugo portrayed at the beginning.
Overall, a very inspirational and lighthearted, funny story with deep and profound messages. Beautiful story of friendship and family and life.
It became slap you in the face LGBTQ+ romance story. It was subtle, yet obvious in the beginning, something that made you think about it and also appreciate it. I feel like the culture these days forces you to rub your nose in it to "see it in a positive way", rather than in a more natural accepting way, the first 3/4 did a very good job at that. Kind of like how the manager forces the people in the story through the door, rather than helping them go to it on their own.
To be honest that "romantic" aspect really came out of nowhere, didn't add much value and kind of distracted me from the story. It really disappointed me as I think it could have been done differently for this book. I'm not opposed to a queer romance and feel that even if it were a heterosexual romance, it was too in your face and out of place. The whole naked tour of the bedroom part really had me saying WTF. I would have preferred the subtle thoughtful interpretation of the relationship between Wallace and Hugo portrayed at the beginning.
Overall, a very inspirational and lighthearted, funny story with deep and profound messages. Beautiful story of friendship and family and life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Murder
augustar14's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You have to read more than the first chapter or two of this book to say you really gave it a try. Wallace, simply put, was a horrible person. He wasn't nice to anyone, nor did he care about those around him, yet he's surprised and angry when no one shows up to his funeral. He has unfinished business; he can't be dead. But, he is, and now he's off to the ferryman's place, where he must stay until he's ready to pass over. But he won't be happy about it, nor will he let the ferryman in, no matter how nice the guy might be, or attractive, or how wonderful his tea is...
A beautifully written story about life, but particularly what comes after. How we cope with the impact our lives had on others, and how grief impacts each person differently. About letting go, holding on, and the steps in between. You won't love Wallace at first, but by the end I think you might feel differently. I certainly did. And it's probably worth keeping a tissue box nearby.
A beautifully written story about life, but particularly what comes after. How we cope with the impact our lives had on others, and how grief impacts each person differently. About letting go, holding on, and the steps in between. You won't love Wallace at first, but by the end I think you might feel differently. I certainly did. And it's probably worth keeping a tissue box nearby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and War
rachelhughes99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Overall a wonderful book with honest insights into mental health and grief. Trigger warnings should be taken seriously prior to reading. The only thing that I think could have been better was the ending; it was predictable but still very good. Overall, I loved this book and the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment