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A review by srosen930
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
3.0
My thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.
I went into this book on an ultimate high of LOVING "House in the Cerulean Sea" based on Klune's smart wit, touching sentiments, dialogue, and lovely characters. Coming into this book with that mindset made me somewhat disappointed in this book. It still had the elements listed above (and some of them were still well executed), but some of it felt diluted to me.
The main character, Wallace, is a cutthroat executive who died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Readers are then brought through death's 'waystation' as we meet a layperson and a reaper and a couple of ghosts. We are shown what happens right after a human dies, how people can react to the news of their death, and that life still happens after people die.
Certainly, there were really heartfelt, touching, and emotional moments throughout the novel. However, the plot seemed a little drawn out and could have been cut down a little bit. I won't spoil anything, but I found that the end stretched further than my suspension of disbelief could go. I thought there were some cop outs written at the end of the book just so the story could be tied all together and make a happy, satisfying ending.
However, the humor was still there and the plot is definitely an interesting one. I still love Klune and think he is a fantastic author. I'd still recommend this book to fans, but I wouldnt want to keep reader's hopes up that this book will meet/exceed the beauty of his previous novel.
I went into this book on an ultimate high of LOVING "House in the Cerulean Sea" based on Klune's smart wit, touching sentiments, dialogue, and lovely characters. Coming into this book with that mindset made me somewhat disappointed in this book. It still had the elements listed above (and some of them were still well executed), but some of it felt diluted to me.
The main character, Wallace, is a cutthroat executive who died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Readers are then brought through death's 'waystation' as we meet a layperson and a reaper and a couple of ghosts. We are shown what happens right after a human dies, how people can react to the news of their death, and that life still happens after people die.
Certainly, there were really heartfelt, touching, and emotional moments throughout the novel. However, the plot seemed a little drawn out and could have been cut down a little bit. I won't spoil anything, but I found that the end stretched further than my suspension of disbelief could go. I thought there were some cop outs written at the end of the book just so the story could be tied all together and make a happy, satisfying ending.
However, the humor was still there and the plot is definitely an interesting one. I still love Klune and think he is a fantastic author. I'd still recommend this book to fans, but I wouldnt want to keep reader's hopes up that this book will meet/exceed the beauty of his previous novel.