Review - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

 

 

 Title: Under the Whispering Door

Author: T.J. Klune

Pages: 401

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: 21st September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 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.

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley*

When Wallace dies, he is taken to Charon's Crossing tea shop by a Reaper called Mei.

The tea shop is run by Hugo, who is a Ferryman who helps the dead to pass on.

Wallace isn't ready to move on. But is he ready to look back over his life and to live again?

The premise for this book intrigued me and I was excited to read it.

Wallace was a horrible person when he was alive, and it did take me a while to warm to him. However, I never felt that I fully connected to Wallace and he was not a stand-out character for me.

My favourite characters were Mei, the Reaper, who assisted Hugo in the tea shop, and Nelson, Hugo's grandfather. They were both funny and I enjoyed reading their scenes and interactions with others.

The setting of the tea shop was interesting and I liked the concepts of the Reapers and Ferrymen.

The plot was interesting and I held my attention overall, but not that much really happened (however, this was definitely more of a character-focused book), and I wasn't gripped. I feel that this could have been a bit shorter as it did drag a little in the middle. While I wasn't overly invested in what happened, I did become emotional at certain scenes, but I feel that the intended overall impact of the book passed me by.

My favourite aspect of the book was probably the themes - those of friendship, found family and helping others.

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but it didn't reach its potential for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.