Literature & Fiction
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Under the Whispering Door
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND INDIE BESTSELLER
One of Buzzfeed's "Best Books of 2022"!
An Indie Next Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel
A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.
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.
One of Buzzfeed's "Best Books of 2022"!
An Indie Next Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel
A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.
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.
Editorial Reviews
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND INDIE BESTSELLER
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel
A 2021 LibraryReads Favorite
"There is so much to enjoy in Under the Whispering Door, but what I cherish the most is its compassion for the little things―a touch, a glance, a precious piece of dialogue―healing me, telling me that for all the strangenesses I hold, I am valued, valid―and maybe even worthy of love." ―Ryka Aoki, Light from Uncommon Stars
"A warm hug of a book about a Grinch of a man who dies and a ferryman, who helps the dead in their journey onwards. Under the Whispering Door is a kind book, full of faith in the goodness of people, full of kind people showing how compassion is a strength. It broke my heart with its unflinching understanding that grief never goes away, never empties, only settles into the room of your soul like a strange souvenir. And then it healed me in the next breath." ―Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
"Tenderness, wit, and skillful worldbuilding elevate this delightful tale. Fans of queer fantasy won't want to miss this." ―Publishers Weekly
"The latest by Lambda Literary Award winner Klune is a winning story about grief, loss, and moving on. Readers will cry and be charmed by his wonderful characters." ―Library Journal
"Klune's latest is a sweet tale of grief and second chances, and a ghost story about not giving up on even the most lost of souls." ―Booklist
"TJ Klune is a master storyteller." ―The Mary Sue
"TJ Klune is doing powerful work that inspires and impresses. He is a gift to our troubled times, and his novels are a radiant treat to all who discover them." ―Locus
Praise for The House in The Cerulean Sea
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel
A 2021 LibraryReads Favorite
"There is so much to enjoy in Under the Whispering Door, but what I cherish the most is its compassion for the little things―a touch, a glance, a precious piece of dialogue―healing me, telling me that for all the strangenesses I hold, I am valued, valid―and maybe even worthy of love." ―Ryka Aoki, Light from Uncommon Stars
"A warm hug of a book about a Grinch of a man who dies and a ferryman, who helps the dead in their journey onwards. Under the Whispering Door is a kind book, full of faith in the goodness of people, full of kind people showing how compassion is a strength. It broke my heart with its unflinching understanding that grief never goes away, never empties, only settles into the room of your soul like a strange souvenir. And then it healed me in the next breath." ―Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
"Tenderness, wit, and skillful worldbuilding elevate this delightful tale. Fans of queer fantasy won't want to miss this." ―Publishers Weekly
"The latest by Lambda Literary Award winner Klune is a winning story about grief, loss, and moving on. Readers will cry and be charmed by his wonderful characters." ―Library Journal
"Klune's latest is a sweet tale of grief and second chances, and a ghost story about not giving up on even the most lost of souls." ―Booklist
"TJ Klune is a master storyteller." ―The Mary Sue
"TJ Klune is doing powerful work that inspires and impresses. He is a gift to our troubled times, and his novels are a radiant treat to all who discover them." ―Locus
Praise for The House in The Cerulean Sea
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
Readers Top Reviews
Danielle AlredTex
"If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things." #QOTD What do you think happens after we pass away? Under the Whispering Door takes death and spins it into a brighter experience. Our main character, Wallace, finds himself in the afterlife but in the most pequliar place thats not quite "heaven" or "hell". Wallace learns valuable lessons that evidently changes him for the better. The story deals with the heavy topic of death but its more than that its a story of acceptance, change, friendship, family, patience and understanding oneself. Klune's imaginative stories never ceases to leave a smile on my face and happy tears in my eyes. He takes these difficult things (death or being different), places them into a story filled with quirky characters, fun adventures, beautiful settings, hilarious dialogue and heartwarming moment and evidently makes brighter. Dealing with grief can take positivity away and push your mind to dark places. If I had read Under the Whispering Door during my time grieving over the passing of my grandma, I think I would have had an easier time accepting. Klune really does such a wonderful job of making "death" and the passing of a loved one more of positive experience. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I adored this book. It truly is a beautiful experience when you read one of his stories. The happiness I experience when I read a Tj Klune book is un-comparable. He's created these places where I can escape to feel the warmth of joy and calm. I cannot wait to see what he imagines next.
P. BothwellDaniel
Under the Whispering Door--PG Violence: no Language: about 35, including deity Sex: intimated, absolutely no details I've never read anything like this before. I really related to one of the leads and felt a connection with him and the stress and pressure he's been under.
BookwormP. Bothwe
I read this book on several others reccomendations. I'm go glad I did. I loved the characters and the story. The author made me feel like I was right there living out this story. It made me laugh, and get angry, and cry like a baby a few times. It was just beautifully written. I would love to see more of it. I seriously reccommend if you have this on your TBR, collecting dust waiting on it's turn, that you go ahead and move it to the top of the list. Trust me it's worth it. I really wish I had gotten to it sooner.
F Jack BishopBook
I really liked it but it was a little work to finish because it’s about death and the ending was unlikely to be happy. The ending was both really happy and really sad and I feel happy about how the author made me think about my own ending and my faults but gave me hope
BellaBellaF Jack
Again, TJ Klune knocks it out of the park. I fell in love with The House in the Cerulean Sea immediately, after having it recommended to me by SO MANY PEOPLE. I had high hopes for Under the Whispering Door and it delivered, plain and simple. I cried so much during this book, in the best way. I laughed out loud, I giggled, I re-read passages over and over again because they were just that good. There was hope, love, and REAL QUEER CHARACTERS. Beautiful. Dynamic. I cannot get enough of this author. As a therapist/social worker, and someone who struggles with my own mental illnesses, this book and the concept of being a Ferryman truly resonated with me in a way that's hard to describe. As someone who is LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent...this book was comforting and satisfying in ways that most books don't even know how to get close to. Read this book. Love this book. Share it with your friends and family and everyone. It's that good.
