I was gifted Under the Whispering Door Winter Solstice, 2021. Narfna described it as a ‘warm hug’ in her review and I wanted to save it for when such a book was needed. Somehow almost a year has passed and it sat on the shelf. When looking for my next read I swear I could hear the book say, “You should read me before you get more books for this year’s Winter Solstice book exchange”. The book had a point so I picked it up and started reading.
Under the Whispering Door is a lovely meditation on death, life, and the transition between the two. It’s also the story of Wallace Price, an asshole who viewed success as the only measure of self-worth. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis recently said in an interview in Variety,
I’ve met them in recovery. People who wield power in their job as a replacement for having any actual human contact, any love or affection. No one recognizes them anywhere other than in their position of power. That’s the only thing that they’ve spent their life nurturing. So that’s what gets them off, is that power. And then what happens to them at the end of the day when they go home and they sit alone in their apartment? It’s incredibly sad.”
Curtis could be describing Wallace. Alive he was arrogant, self-absorbed, and an insensitive jerk. But then he dies suddenly of a heart attack and all his control is ripped away. At first Wallace is angry but that is quickly replaced by fear covered up as anger. You may be asking, what about this is like a warm hug? Wallace’s journey to self-acceptance, finding a healthy way to love, and living for the first time in life (ironically after his death), as he is surrounded by supportive people who accept him through his transformation from prickly and entitled to open and caring, is beautiful. All the care and gentleness of this book gives it the feeling of having a warm hug.
Klune supposes that life and death are just part of one journey. Sometimes there is just a brief stop after death to then continue on the journey. For some that stop between death and what comes after is a bit longer. Wallace has some things to unpack before continuing on. It is through spending time with his reaper Mei and ferryman Hugo at the Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop that helps him become ready to move on to the next phase of his journey.
Klune doesn’t just speculate about what happens to humans after death, he also includes dogs (and presumably other beloved pet types). He writes the most poignant and accurate thing I’ve read regarding the loss of an animal companion.
They take a piece of our souls with them when they leave.
I was blown away by Klune’s The House by the Cerulean Sea, which gave me high expectations for Under the Whispering Door and it did not disappoint.