Review: Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor (MacMillan-Tor/Forge) for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so much, so I was super excited to receive an ARC of Under the Whispering Door. Boy was my excitement spot on?!

This story is a much different one than Cerulean Sea. This one immediately starts with death, and all that comes after it. I don't want to spoil it too much, but the main character, Wallace, dies and is taken to a way station on the path to the afterlife, where he meets a ferryman, Hugo, and his "team"/family of Mei, Nelson, and Apollo. It is at this way station that Wallace learns what it truly means to be alive.

This book is a beautiful tale of grief - the grief of losing ones self, the grief of losing someone you love, the grief caused by life. A line from one of my favorite songs, Human by Jon McLaughlin, says it best, "I'm smart enough to know that life goes by, and it leaves a trail of broken hearts behind."

But also at the core of this story is another beautiful tale of becoming. Wallace's arrival and subsequent time at the way station changes him to his core. It changes Hugo. It changes Mei. It changes Nelson and Apollo. It changes EVERYTHING.

This book is highly recommended. It does have some slow parts, so I had to round down my 4.5 rating instead of up, but definitely highly recommended. This was a beautiful tale of grief and becoming.

View all my reviews