Under The Whispering Door is a remarkably heartfelt exploration of death,love and friendship;with enough wit and charm to keep it lighthearted—perfect for fans of The Goodplace.
“Welcome to Charon’s Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh and the dead are just passing through.”
When workaholic lawyer (and Scrooge-like boss) Wallace is collected from his own funeral by a Reaper, he finally accepts that he’s dead. But Mei (the Reaper) doesn’t lead him to his afterlife—instead she leads him to a quirky little tea shop in the woods. Here he meets the tea shop’s residents Nelson, Apollo (a dog) and Hugo, Nelson’s grandson (the tea shop’s owner, who job it is to help souls cross over.)
Wallace isn’t ready to pass over yet, not when he feels more alive than he’s ever felt, with new friends and even a chance at love. When he’s given only a week to pass on (and with so little time left) Wallace plans to enjoy a lifetimes’ worth of experiences in just seven days.
This is the first book by TJ klune I’ve ever read and I really liked it. I found it heartwarmingly charming and even funny at times (with the help of Nelson and his marvellous sense of humour),despite the fact it deals heavily with the topics of death and grief.
I do have to mention the pacing was quite slow but, it did work with the setting and gave us time to explore the ways in which death and grief are portrayed throughout the novel —sort of like a narrative representation of the stages of grief.
Also, as a massive tea drinker I loved the tea shop setting;it definitely added to the charm and whimsically paranormal slice of life vibe. In fact, it’s the charming setting (as well as the main character gaining perspective on their life’s experiences after death) that reminded me of The Good Place.
I also really enjoyed the way in which the romance between Wallace and Hugo was explored and thought they were both perfect for one another. Hugo was a wonderfully sweet and endearing character —it’s impossible to read this and not like him. But, of all the characters that I loved, I have to say Nelson was my favourite (honestly,he has some of the best lines.)
Overall, I found it both heartwarming and poignant with a wonderful and diverse cast of characters and incredible LGBTQ+ representation. If you like Contemporary Fantasy or Paranormal Romance,then I highly recommend you give this a read.
I also wanted to thank Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for the e-ARC.
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Under The Whispering Door by T.J. Klune is out 28 October 2021 (UK)