Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door is a 2021 novel by best-selling American novelist TJ Klune. A bittersweet story about life, death, and faith, Under the Whispering Door centers on Wallace Price, a recently deceased mercenary attorney, as he grapples with the experience of transitioning between life and death. Exploring themes of found family, self-discovery, and grief, Klune emphasizes the importance of connection and empathy in the face of human fallibility.

This study guide refers to the Tor Macmillan Kindle edition of the text.

Content Warning: This text features recurring discussions of death and suicide.

Plot Summary

Under the Whispering Door begins two days before the death of Wallace Price as he fires a dedicated employee for a minor mistake, emphasizing his coldness and cruelty. Wallace doesn’t know how he ends up at his funeral a few days later but is surprised by how few people come to mourn him. There is a young woman at the funeral Wallace doesn’t recognize, and she introduces herself to him as Mei, a Reaper who will help him transition between the world of the living and that of the dead. It takes some convincing for Wallace to believe he is actually dead, but Mei patiently waits with him until he is ready to be escorted to Hugo Freeman, the Ferryman who will help Wallace cross over through the door to the afterlife. On the way to Hugo, Wallace discovers that only Reapers and other ghosts can touch him and that he has a large hook in his chest that no one else can see with a cable in it. The cable connects him to Hugo.

Hugo owns a tea shop where he and Mei live, along with Hugo’s dead grandfather, Nelson, and dog, Apollo, who have yet to cross over. Wallace is instantly enchanted by Hugo, especially once Hugo gives him tea that brings back childhood memories. However, he begins to feel imprisoned in the tea shop once he learns that it is impossible for him to go back to living his life. Wallace tries to run away, but his skin starts to flake off as he gets further away from the tea shop. Outside, he meets Cameron, a shell of a man called a “Husk.” Cameron had run like Wallace did but supposedly lost his humanity in doing so. Wallace decides he must stay at the tea shop, as he is afraid of becoming a Husk, but he isn’t ready to go through the mysterious door at the top of the shop’s stairs that will take him to the afterlife.

Over the following weeks, Wallace stays longer than any of the previous visitors to the tea shop. He starts to adjust to the day-to-day life of the shop, learning more about his companions and what it means to be a ghost. He also learns more about Hugo and his experiences as a Ferryman, which have caused him grief and anxiety, especially when someone he calls the Manager has gotten involved. The two men become friends, and Wallace wishes that he could have met Hugo during his life.

Just as Wallace begins to accept his death, a new, unruly visitor named Alan Flynn comes to the tea shop. Alan cannot accept his death because he was murdered and no one listened when he called for help, so he acts out, causing trouble around the shop. Wallace realizes just how horrible he acted during his own first few days after death. One night, Wallace comes across Cameron, who grabs him and forcibly shows Wallace his memories, telling him that his humanity is still there. Hugo is confused, as the Manager had told him there is nothing left of Cameron in the Husk.

As Wallace and Hugo get closer, Wallace daydreams about meeting Hugo when he was still living. When he asks Hugo if he would want to be with him if he was alive, Hugo says yes. One night, Alan recognizes the power his anger gives him and hurts a living person as well as his companions, prompting the Manager to come to the tea shop. He meets Wallace alone and tells him that he has been lingering at the tea shop for too long, and gives Wallace one final week to say his goodbyes. After that, he will personally take Wallace to the whispering door, as the Manager then does with Alan against his will.

Wallace goes through all stages of grief in quick succession, but he is determined to do something good with his last week on Earth. With Hugo’s help, Wallace contacts his ex-wife and apologizes to her. The group helps a woman named Nancy move on after the passing of her daughter. Wallace convinces Hugo to take him out into the world of the living one last time, and on their way back they see Cameron, who shows Wallace more of his memories and asks for his help. Wallace pulls the hook from his own chest and tethers it to Cameron, which brings him back to himself. They help Cameron go through the door shortly after.

The Manager returns at the end of the week to take Wallace to the door, but the group tells him about the Husks and how they can be saved like Cameron was. They convince the Manager to begin efforts to bring all of the other Husks to the tea shop to cross over. The Manager agrees with the stipulation that Wallace willingly crosses over immediately. However, once they make it to the whispering door, the Manager talks to the voices behind it and comes up with a different plan. He brings Wallace back to life and hires him to be a Reaper like Mei, who will need help bringing in all of the Husks he will be sending to the tea shop.

The companions at the tea shop help the ghosts and Husks that are brought to them, and Wallace and Hugo can finally be together. Nelson and Apollo eventually decide to cross over. Hugo is heartbroken, but he understands their decision and knows he will be in good hands with Wallace.