Book Review: Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door is a fantasy novel written by American author TJ Klune.  First published in September 2021, this novel takes a fantastical look at the concept of death and the life the follows soon after.  I never read any of TJ Klune’s prior work before this but I did know of his reputation of a fairly well-regarded LGBTQ+ writer who is openly gay himself.  His stories seem to orientate around fictional worlds which juggle real-world emotions and concepts, this has helped develop a trademark style behind TJ Klune’s work that has garnered him a fairly large fanbase.

The story of Under the Whispering Door follows the life and mainly death of Wallace Price, a sharp and cold-hearted lawyer who has no qualms about the many bridges he’s burned working his way to the top of a very lonely mountain. Despite all the success however, it’s not enough to stop poor Wallace from dropping dead of a heart attack in his office.  Despite dying, Wallace finds himself still existing in the form of a spirit and while initially confused and angry, it’s through his arrival to a remote tea shop called Charon’s Crossing that he starts a journey to remedy his soul. Helping him on this path is Hugo, the tea shop proprietor and appointed reaper for lost spirits. It’s through their time together Hugo and the rest of the tea shop residents help Wallace find a new lease on his life now that he’s dead.

I don’t often like delving into stories that tackle the idea of death. I have a lot of anxiety about the existential idea of what comes after we pass.  I think Under the Whispering door tackles the concept with a lot of delicacy and nuance which should be recognized.  It doesn’t shy away from dealing with reflecting on the weight of death and how it impacts those who pass and those around them.  Wallace as a character goes through some great character development throughout his time at Charon’s Crossing and it’s his journey of reflection and introspection that makes up a great core of the books quality.  I wish I could say the same about the other aspects of the story.  I know Klune likes to implement gay romance in his stories, but I can’t help but feel it’s presence in this narrative doesn’t feel as compelling as the main plot.  In fact, I genuinely feel its romance plot detracts the goal of the narrative and only makes it weaker for it, especially near the end I feel.

It's worth recognizing that TJ Klune has a lot of strength in the form of his writing style and structure. He’s able to build a lot of his characters with compelling complexities which make them feel very genuine and 3-dimensional. I like how he paces out a lot of key plot points progressively so that they overlap with one another naturally.  There’s a nice balance of emotional range in his writing too, he’s got a good vocabulary of wording which he uses to flesh out the depth of the sequences he’s writing to considerable extent.

Under the Whispering Door is a great reading experience despite the minor gripes I noted.  I think the way TJ Klune tackles the idea of death within the confines of this story is fantastic on a number of fronts.  The writing and structure are strong and inviting that any reader can get lost in the fantastical world he establishes.  If there is a life after death, the concept that TJ Klune plays with is a nice idea to believe in, all things considered.