A Good Idea Poorly Executed: a review of Under The Whispering Door

One dead guy will take weeks to “pass through” and you will wish he would hurry up already, only to be disappointed when he does(n’t). 

Perhaps my expectations for this book were too high, but I walked away from this story underwhelmed and disappointed.

That being said, I did choose the book solely off of the cover art and brief description on the back. I knew nothing about the author, nor had anyone recommended this book to me. This book was a purely spontaneous purchase. My husband has a knack for spontaneous purchases that turn out to be great. Apparently, I do not have that type of luck. On that note, here is my review of Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune:

• I loved the characters. I loved the diversity. I loved the heart.

I got the impression, through the middle of the book, that Klune was not entirely sure how he planned to wrap up this story. I must make a little allowance, though, as this is undoubtedly a character-driven story, and the characters were all beautiful and beautifully written. You will fall in love with every single one of them-- from the quirky Mei, to the soulful Hugo; from the grumpy Wallace, to the mischievous Nelson. Even the minor characters that pass through here and there will make you fall in love with them immediately. Not to mention Klune's intentionality in making sure that many different types of people are represented in his story: black, white, straight, gay, troubled, bitter, lighthearted, etc. But it did ramble. Even a character-driven story needs a clear plot.

• The plot failed where the characters shined; as if the plot were an after-thought.

Klune tries to foreshadow certain events, but goes no further than introducing the mysterious Cameron, only to not bring him back for nearly 100 pages. The "Manager" is referenced multiple times, but our main character is never intrigued enough to ask, and when he does, he doesn't press-- no matter how ominous the other characters make the "Manager" seem. All this, to then bring both Cameron and "Manager" into the climax of the plot with little more than 10 chapters left. Up until that point, the reader is given many repetitive conversations, supposedly leading to the main character's final development, only for him to turn a sudden corner in very little time at all. You enter this story expecting a slow burn, only to find nearly dead embers that burst into flame at the last minute-- fully expected, but without the pay-off of a good build.

I think the slow-burn worked well in regards to the romantic subplot. That is, until the subplot became the main plot, and the main plot became the subplot and was resolved far too quickly for the weak build-up.

• This story would have been better with a sadder ending. (This last point borders on spoilers-- so tread carefully!)

I love a good happy ending, but I think this story would have been better with a sadder one. I do not know Klune's intention, and perhaps he only writes happy endings in his books, in which case I cannot fault him for this particular one. But it is possible to write so happy an ending that you lose some depth, and I think this is what happened in Under the Whispering Door.

If my introductory sentence to this review was too crass, allow me to explain further: this story, in summary, is about a Scrooge-type who dies suddenly. This is not a spoiler, as it is literally spoiled on the back of the book. The main character's death takes place within the first few chapters, and the rest of the book is his journey toward healing and growth at a way-station that is also a tea-house, before he decides it's time to pass on. The build-up to this point resulted in certain expectations that were not met, but not in a good way. The ending did not prove to be the twist I think Klune was hoping for. Rather, the ending felt like a cop-out.

For a book that spends so much time discussing trauma and growth, life and death, I wanted an ending that would make me cry. I wanted an ending that would leave me thoughtful and maybe a little sad. I got none of the above. Rather than wrap up the many intimate conversations regarding the frailty of life with a poignant reminder of exactly that fact, the ending felt like a Hallmark movie where everyone gets exactly what they want at exactly the right time-- unlike how life and death really works.

Under The Whispering Door's characters are charming; the idea for this story is fantastic and fresh; and the way Klune writes conversations about difficult themes works well; but the pay-off is lackluster at best.

(Adult themes: some language, and some mild allusions to sexuality. Trigger warning: conversations about suicide).