He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He wanted to raise his fists towards the stars and rant and rave about the unfairness of it all. He had plans. He had goals. So much left to do, and now he’d never … he couldn’t…

A Story that made me cry

Under the Whispering Door made me cry so hard, my glasses were covered in tears. TJ Klune poured his heart into this book, and we felt every moment. 

Under the Whispering Door follows our protagonist, Wallace, as he comes to terms with his new existence – in death. In life he was angry, he was selfish, and he never lost. He had power and people did as he demanded. It starts out feeling like a reimagining of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with Wallace in place of Scrooge, and his journey not dissimilar to that of Scrooge’s. However, this reimagining is less implicit as the story develops, and for this I was relieved. 

When Wallace dies, he is taken to a tea house in the woods by Mei, the reaper, where he meets Hugo, the ferryman, Nelson, Hugo’s grandfather, and Apollo, Hugo’s dog. He’s not happy at his situation and is not the most pleasant of guests either. He makes demands and attempts to run away from the tea house, however, he soon realises he really is dead, and he cannot leave the tea house without consequences. Under the Whispering Door is his journey, and the journey of those who come into contact with him now that he’s no longer living – he not only has his own journey to navigate, but he also sees others who have been impacted by a similar journey to his own, including the threat of something dark and hollow.

A Slow Burn That Warms the Soul

The pacing is intentionally slow. In a very fast-paced world, it took some time to settle in, but when I did, I was fully invested. There is a turning point a quarter of the way through where the A Christmas Carol echo died down, and Klune’s original narrative begins to seep through. Klune’s ability to slowly build each significant character is done with effortless style, woven into the narrative where it feels deliberate and never overwhelming. This meant that as the plot develops our relationship with the main characters has formed with such strength that we care. This is how he is able to envelope us in the emotional trials of the story.

Klune’s ability to not only show us the world, but to also feel and imagine the scents within the tea house, is immersive. As Wallace is unable to leave the tea house, it means we as a reader are also, mostly, confined there, but this doesn’t take away from the enfolding prose. The details are specific and deliberate, which is the same way as how Klune approaches the characters and their backgrounds.

Sorrow, Humour, and Hope in Equal Measure

Early on, two female characters speak to or about Wallace at length, and their dialogue felt slightly unnatural — discussing things I felt they wouldn’t realistically say so directly. But they exist to help paint a picture of Wallace’s life. When Mei appears, her voice is refreshingly grounded and distinct. She is an extremely funny and yet caring character, that made me laugh out loud on a few occasions.

‘Mei!’ Wallace shouted. ‘Bring back the knife!’

Mei burst through the doors again, now carrying a knife in each hand.

‘No knives!’ Hugo shouted.

She turned around and stalked back into the kitchen.

Alongside Mei’s comic relief came Nelson’s. Yet his came with a completely different role to play, mischievous but also more of a parental figure. Klune balanced the darkness, the sorrow, the heartache and humour very well. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that made me laugh out loud and audibly cry in the way this book did.

Under the Whispering Door fits our monthly theme of reflective and resonant, not just with its exploration of death and grief, but the resonance of emotions. I cried and I cried hard. I blubbered like a baby, especially towards the end. I can’t see this being a book I forget easily. Klune has a way of writing that puts you right in the centre of the narrative. It wasn’t just Wallace, Hugo, Mei, Nelson and Apollo in the room, I was in the room too. There were some uses of common sayings which grated a bit, but overall, Klunes writing style is descriptive and visual.

The ending is perfect for the narrative, but not necessarily what I wanted. When I thought I’d stopped crying, I started up again. Most of it was unpredictable, although some smaller, less relevant arcs were.

Final Thoughts & Who I’d Recommend It To

This is the perfect book for readers who like reflective narratives, and arguably cosy fantasy – though again, there are heavy emotional notes to the narrative that challenges the cosy a little bit.

Title: Under the Whispering Door
Author: T.J. Kluune
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Fiction, Cosy Fantasy, Ghost Story
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (Tor Imprint)
Edition Publication Date: 2023

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Trigger Warnings:
Death
Suicide