Under The Whispering Door

This was a whimsical and light-hearted story that explores life, death, love and how it is never too late to find meaning in your life. This was the second time I've read a book by this author and this story has a similar, quirky feel to his first. The story started out strong and I liked Wallace Price and his uptight, curmudgeonly ways. His abrupt and often insensitive ways of dealing with others added humour and overall, this was an enjoyable and predictable audiobook listen.

There are a small group of secondary characters and Mei and Apollo the dog were easily my favourites of the bunch. There is solid LGBTQ+ representation and a love story, but it came upon this reader quite suddenly and felt extraneous to the plot. This is a sweet story with a good, but heavy-handed, message that stays fairly superficial in its delivery. The plot plods a bit in the middle and finishes with a satisfying but expected ending. The gem of this novel for me was Klune's world building and a gaggle of characters readers will care about. Kirt Graves also does a great job as narrator for the audiobook.

I enjoyed this audiobook but, like Klune's previous book The House in the Cerulean Sea, I don't think this author's writing style meshes well with my reading tastes. Others simply adore this author so if you're in the mood for a story with humour, whimsy and a quirky group of characters, this lighter look at issues of death, grief, friendship and learning to truly live one's life before it's too late will fit the bill.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: T.J Klune

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Narrator: Kirt Graves

Run Time: 15 hours

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

First Published: September 21, 2021

Opening Lines: Patricia was crying. 

Wallace Prince hated it when people cried.

Book Description from GoodReads: When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune's signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy.