Book Review: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

 

From the publisher:

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune was published September 21st, 2021 by Tor Books.

My Thoughts:

Wallace is a very busy man. Work is his life. Imagine his surprise and consternation when a reaper comes for him as he's watching his own funeral. She brings him to a tea shop where the ferryman is. Wallace is quite upset. At one point he even stomps his foot and demands to be returned to the living. Hugo, the ferryman, informs him this is impossible. Wallace sulks. This is how he begins his transformative journey with the help of Hugo, Hugo's grandfather, the reaper, and a ghost dog.

The characters are all interesting. Wallace undergoes the biggest and most obvious change. But the others experience growth as well. I enjoyed the characters and rooted for them. I especially liked the bits between Wallace and Hugo's grandfather. And I enjoyed reading about Wallace and Hugo as they grow closer.

The novel has a quiet sort of tone to it. Almost all of the action takes place in the tea shop. The calmness is the perfect background for the story. 

There are a few scenes that are full of action. And there is a certain amount of sarcasm in the story as well. There's also some humor. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but it does follow the experiences logically.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well written. The characters are endearing for the most part. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to them. If you enjoy fantasy titles , you might enjoy this one. I really looked forward to this book and it did not disappoint.. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.