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A review by zaonic
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I must admit, out of the 30+ books I've read this year, this is my first 5 ⭐ book.
TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door approaches the topic of death and life after death in a tender way, despite the everlooming dreariness of the topic.
As with a few of his other works, this book features a main character who is easily detestable and turns him into a man of character, AFTER his death.
The book has a diverse cast of characters, age ranges and topics. It features queerness and cultural identity and death by murder and suicide.
This book has easily topped my favorite life after death books and I will be ordering a physical copy immediately to have on my shelves to read and reread and place into the hands of friends and family.
I originally listened to the Audiobook narrated by Kirt Graves. Don't let the 14hr long audiobook scare you off. Kirt was an absolute joy to listen to and had me laughing out loud and causing family members to stare at me auestinably while I did mundane tasks like wash the dishes or cook dinner. He also had me crying like a baby with a certain someone's storyline. 10/10 excellent narrator paired with an excellent writer and storyline.
This is a SLOW read. The main character is NOT a likeable person and won't become likeable until a third to halfway throughout the book. I spent the first half of the book laughing at Wallace (the main character) and the other half rooting for him.
If you like Mitch Albom's approach to life after death but feel like his books are too short, this is the one to pick up.
TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door approaches the topic of death and life after death in a tender way, despite the everlooming dreariness of the topic.
As with a few of his other works, this book features a main character who is easily detestable and turns him into a man of character, AFTER his death.
The book has a diverse cast of characters, age ranges and topics. It features queerness and cultural identity and death by murder and suicide.
This book has easily topped my favorite life after death books and I will be ordering a physical copy immediately to have on my shelves to read and reread and place into the hands of friends and family.
I originally listened to the Audiobook narrated by Kirt Graves. Don't let the 14hr long audiobook scare you off. Kirt was an absolute joy to listen to and had me laughing out loud and causing family members to stare at me auestinably while I did mundane tasks like wash the dishes or cook dinner. He also had me crying like a baby with a certain someone's storyline. 10/10 excellent narrator paired with an excellent writer and storyline.
This is a SLOW read. The main character is NOT a likeable person and won't become likeable until a third to halfway throughout the book. I spent the first half of the book laughing at Wallace (the main character) and the other half rooting for him.
If you like Mitch Albom's approach to life after death but feel like his books are too short, this is the one to pick up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts