Title: Under the Whispering Door

Author: TJ Klune

Genre: LGBTQIA+, Fantasy

TW: Suicide, heavy on the death.

Summary:

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.

My Thoughts – A Letter to TJ Klune:

Dear TJ Klune,

Thank you for allowing me to realize that the eyeliner I had been experimenting with was not as waterproof as it claimed it was. It’s possible it wasn’t up to the tsunami of tears that I would cry over this book. And cry I would, because this possibly might be one of the best books I’ve ever read concerning the matter of death.

It’s worried me for quite some time, along with many others. Death that is. But there was something about this book and the way it was approached that felt so delicate and special. It turned death from a horrifying end to a beautiful beginning and I can’t help but want to thank you for that.

As always, your writing is a comfort. It’s somehow reminiscent of all the books I’ve loved in my life and yet none of them all at the same time.

The characters within this book feel like old friends, comforting and honest when you need them to be. They’re respectful in their disagreements, but never afraid to talk about the hard stuff.

And this book is full of the hard stuff. It doesn’t shy away from it either, but it remains respectful of grief and what remains after it.

In a word, this book is, magnificent.

Your faithful reader,

Ashley

Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.