A review by sgpartyhat
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Wallace Price is a bit of an asshole. Okay, a lot of an asshole. 

That is, until, he dies. 

TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door asks: what if when you died, you stopped at a tea shop on the way to whatever's next? That's just what Wallace does, shepherded by a reaper and a ferryman, and none too happily at that. But death has a way of changing people--the dead most of all. 

Klune spins a tapestry of warm tea and warmer conversations, of love and loss and grief and fear and the occasional Eldritch being as old as time itself. His characters are imperfect, messy, and a comforting reminder that we are, too. His romance writing is loudly quiet and beautifully crafted, glowing embers and a raging fire all rolled up into one. His worldbuilding is whimsical and grand, and while it's looser than some of the fantasy I've read, that feels fitting for the story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Many of the characters in the book are dead, so their deaths affect the story.