Discussion: Under the Whispering Door

[ufcasey]

Um, so this is very belated and I didn't send out any reminders - but did anyone happen to read Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune for July's book club discussion? Yes, it is mid-August already. Sorry!

Some people who may have read it:
wildrice, brewco, cherryvalance, travella, mrspez07


Optional questions stolen from the internet (feel free to just talk about your overall impressions/opinions of the book instead if you prefer):

1) There are so many fantastic characters in the book. Which one do you most relate to? Why?
2) What role does Apollo serve in the novel?
3) Why/how was Wallace able to communicate with Cameron when no one else had? How did the truth of Cameron differ from the perception?
4) If you read other books by TJ Klune, how do they compare to Under the Whispering Door? How do these novels compare to other fantasy titles you have read?

[cherryvalance]

I didn't realize it was a book club book, but I'm still at the beginning, so I'll come back. I definitely enjoy it, but for some reason I've hit a block with reading and need to get back into it.

[charlatti]

I really loved this book, but I can’t remember details very well. I should have paid more attention to the book club calendar and reread it.

[aurora]

I did read it, and actually just finished last week so your timing is great!

I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but ended up enjoying it in the end. I think Klune writes in an easy, accessible manner. I also realized that I read too few books with non-hetero relationships so I am glad to add that diversity to my shelf.

The only thing I'm skeptical about is Wallace getting to come back to life at the end. I don't know why that bugged me more than the fantasy of being able to talk to ghosts and the like, but it did. I'm glad that Hugo and Wallace get to be happy, though.

[msmerymac]

I really did like it, although I would say I enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea more. It was less bittersweet.

I also suffer from anxiety and I for sure have a lot of anxiety around death, grief, the afterlife, etc. So anything about dying young is a bit triggering to me. But I also realized that I'd have a lot less anxiety if I KNEW there was a "something else" after we die. That said, no one in the book REALLY knew what was next after they went through the door, lol.

I think it would have been MORE bittersweet if Wallace actually was forced to move on, and I would have cried like a baby, so there's that. Might have actually made for a stronger ending, but I think happy endings/relationships are TJ Klune's goal, which I understand since he normally writes about same-sex relationships and there aren't enough happy endings there when you look at the whole of history and literature.

[travella]

I liked the premise of this book, but I didn't care for this book at all, 1.5*. This book took me nearly 2 weeks to finish and it was a painfully slow 2 weeks. Under normal circumstances I probably would have DNF'd it half way through. However, it being a book club book and seeing so many rave reviews I forced myself to press on. I just couldn't get into the book no matter how hard I tried.

That said, I can see myself watching this on tv and enjoying it, (I've found that I like Hallmark movies on occasion, but I don't care for the same type of hallmark-esque stories in books I read).

[krystee]

I really liked this book, though not QUITE as much as Cerulean Sea. I like that his books are heartwarming, but also substantive and meaningful, with important social messages, so not just fluff.

I can’t remember the details because I read it when I first came out, but I have it four stars.

[estrellita]

I just finished this last night. I really loved it, but agree with others that I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea more. But overall I really like his writing. I thought it was a great story, but again agree with PP that I'm unsure about Wallace coming back to life. I'm very happy he and Hugo got their happy ending though. I thought it was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once and really has a great message about life.

[mrspez07]

I felt like I muddled through this book. An interesting premise and some great scenes and dialog at times, but I felt as trapped in that tea shop as the characters sometimes.
I apologize, I’ve forgotten the character names:
I liked the relationship between Wallace and the father, I really liked the scene with the ghost fraud lady as well.