TJ Klune is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I spent most of the morning reading the second part of his newest adult novel Under the Whispering Door. I cried. I swooned. I was warmed. I was engrossed. I had a lot of feelings. Just like The House in the Cerulean Sea, the writing and story completely pulled me in, and while this book explores different themes (focusing on grief and death) the heart of it is still love and found family. It was also still unapologetically queer.
You can check out the full premise on Goodreads, but this pitch line should give you a good idea: Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.
I’m planning to read TJ Klune’s young adult books soon (starting with The Extraordinaires). I have a feeling I’ll continue to gobble up everything he writes. Though wildly different in so many ways, reading these last two books by him has given me a similar feeling to watching Ted Lasso. They make me feel a little better about life and people while still acknowledging all the hard stuff.
Bottom Line: Under the Whispering Door and The House in the Cerulean Sea come highly recommended.
With Love,
Natalie