UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR | TJ Klune
Wallace Price is not a nice person. He is an arrogant narcissist, ruthless, self-absorbed, and rude. He is careless with the feelings of those around him, to the point of cruelty. He lives a solitary life, sad and boring, and when he finally dies of a heart attack, no one cares.
I’ll be honest, folks. I also did not care when Wallace Price died. In fact, I was glad. I disliked the man immensely, enough to genuinely consider marking this book down as a DNF, because there was just no way on god’s green earth that any redemption arc was going to be enough to redeem… that.
I finished the book, obviously. But I still don’t know how I feel about the redemption arc.
I feel very torn about this book, in a way I was not expecting. On the one hand, I found it a profoundly beautiful book, slow and meandering and full of deep, affecting moments which had me crying more often than not. I loved the conversations between Hugo and Wallace, and between Wallace and the other residents of Charon’s Crossing. In many ways, it’s a very cathartic book to read, and I think anyone who has ever felt grief will get a find a great deal of comfort within its pages.
Separate from these moments, however, the book was dotted with scenes of comedy which seemed wildly out of place. There were many interactions which were slapstick-esque in their delivery, and wouldn’t go amiss in a sitcom. For some people, I’m sure these moments will break up what might otherwise be quite a heavy read. For me, I felt like I was being uncomfortably yanked from one extreme to another. I found it wildly jarring and the switches left me feeling like I couldn’t quite pin down the tone of the story the author was trying to project. I think there is a way to intertwine lighthearted moments into a story like this, but I’m just not sure if this book quite nailed that feat.
Also, I don’t want to get too far into spoiler territory, but I simply did not like the way the book ended. I feel like it cheapened a story which could have so easily been very profound. This is only my opinion, however, and I know, even as I write this, that many people (if not most people) will disagree with my stance.
So, three stars. The book is beautifully written with what I understand to be TJ Klune’s signature whimsical voice. It’s a gorgeously imaginative tale – I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Tor Books for providing me with this ARC.
I’ll be honest, folks. I also did not care when Wallace Price died. In fact, I was glad. I disliked the man immensely, enough to genuinely consider marking this book down as a DNF, because there was just no way on god’s green earth that any redemption arc was going to be enough to redeem… that.
I finished the book, obviously. But I still don’t know how I feel about the redemption arc.
I feel very torn about this book, in a way I was not expecting. On the one hand, I found it a profoundly beautiful book, slow and meandering and full of deep, affecting moments which had me crying more often than not. I loved the conversations between Hugo and Wallace, and between Wallace and the other residents of Charon’s Crossing. In many ways, it’s a very cathartic book to read, and I think anyone who has ever felt grief will get a find a great deal of comfort within its pages.
Separate from these moments, however, the book was dotted with scenes of comedy which seemed wildly out of place. There were many interactions which were slapstick-esque in their delivery, and wouldn’t go amiss in a sitcom. For some people, I’m sure these moments will break up what might otherwise be quite a heavy read. For me, I felt like I was being uncomfortably yanked from one extreme to another. I found it wildly jarring and the switches left me feeling like I couldn’t quite pin down the tone of the story the author was trying to project. I think there is a way to intertwine lighthearted moments into a story like this, but I’m just not sure if this book quite nailed that feat.
Also, I don’t want to get too far into spoiler territory, but I simply did not like the way the book ended. I feel like it cheapened a story which could have so easily been very profound. This is only my opinion, however, and I know, even as I write this, that many people (if not most people) will disagree with my stance.
So, three stars. The book is beautifully written with what I understand to be TJ Klune’s signature whimsical voice. It’s a gorgeously imaginative tale – I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Tor Books for providing me with this ARC.
