Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024--San Antonio

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune deals with living life, the end of life, and reflections on life with an alternative story to traditional religious beliefs about what happens when one dies.  Wallace was a workaholic, tough, unsympathetic, divorced and friendless lawyer.  When he dies suddenly of a heart attack, he becomes a ghost attending his own funeral with only 5 other attendees--his partners and his former wife--when an unknown person shows up and announces to him that she is there to take him to the ferryman to prepare for transitioning to the next life.  Upset about dying young and unexpectedly, he is taken to a halfway house, which is a tearoom in the countryside near a remote village, where the ferryman will assist him in the transition.  He argues and rails against the situation as the ferryman, the woman "reaper" who met him at his funeral and brought him there, the ghost of the grandfather of the ferryman, and the ghost of the ferryman's dog all try to help him accept his situation before progressing to the next life.  According to those at the tea room, he is a tough case, but not that unusual a case.  The story progresses over weeks as Wallace becomes comfortable and even happy just existing at the tea room in this transitional state and is in no hurry to leave.  In doing so, other characters are introduced, relationships develop, and Wallace begins to care for others beyond those of the main characters.  It's the story of a man who never really enjoyed and lived life until he was dead--a man who didn't want to move on to the next stage because the transitional one was so good.  The last third of story turns into a tearjerker with the reader rooting for a way for this new "family" of the main characters to be able to stay together.  It's not great literature, but it is a good story.  I gave the book 4 stars out of 5 for pulling me into the story and providing so much enjoyment.