• Under the Whispering Door

  • By: TJ Klune
  • Narrated by: Kirt Graves
  • Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (5,252 ratings)

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Under the Whispering Door  By  cover art

Under the Whispering Door

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Kirt Graves
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Publisher's summary

"Narrator Kirt Groves provides an excellently distinct cast of voices."- Locus

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.

The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

"Graves matches his narrative pace to the measured unwinding of the story's layers, focused but unhurried, in the same way that Hugo brews his therapeutic cups of tea." —AudioFile

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2021 TJ Klune (P)2021 Macmillan Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

Critic reviews

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER
An Indie Next Pick!

“There is so much to enjoy in Under the Whispering Door, but what I cherish the most is its compassion for the little things — a touch, a glance, a precious piece of dialogue — healing me, telling me that for all the strangenesses I hold, I am valued, valid — and maybe even worthy of love.” (Ryka Aoki, Light from Uncommon Stars)

"Narrator Kirt Groves provides an excellently distinct cast of voices."- Locus

"A warm hug of a book about a Grinch of a man who dies and a ferryman, who helps the dead in their journey onwards. Under the Whispering Door is a kind book, full of faith in the goodness of people, full of kind people showing how compassion is a strength. It broke my heart with its unflinching understanding that grief never goes away, never empties, only settles into the room of your soul like a strange souvenir. And then it healed me in the next breath.” —Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

What listeners say about Under the Whispering Door

Average customer ratings
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Beautiful

Beautiful and sad and heart warming all at once. I was bored at the start, not thinking I was going to enjoy the reader or the characters much—it started a bit slow—but wow. I absolutely fell in love with this book. My heart ached wanting to keep listening. By the end I was equal parts tears and smiles and had some good laughs along the way. Really a lovely book.

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An Emotional Rollercoaster

I think TJ Klune really hit it out of the park with this book. There's a lot of really good character writing in this, a lot of depth explored in the interplay and a good smattering of humor to help levy some of the harder emotions. The ending was a little bit of a stumble for me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the read.

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What a great listen!!!

The build of the characters and the after death experience was clever and engaging!! I love the humor in dealing with difficult topics. Thought provoking, compassionate and heart warming!

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Good stuff

Always interesting what people come up with what happens after death. Fun twists and good narration. I would read more by this author

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Another TJ Klune Winner!

I love this book. After reading other TJ Klune books, I couldn't wait for this one and it didn't disappoint. He has a knack for developing characters that readers can connect with and plotlines that are new and unique. Under the Whispering Door was no exception. I enjoyed seeing the George Bailey/Ebenezer Scrooge-esque evolution of Wallace Price and his acts of redemption throughout the book. There were times I laughed out loud and times that I cried. Kirt Graves was an outstanding narrator!

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Unexpected

TJ Kline has a wonderful sensibility. His ability to write about dying while incorporating love , redemption, empathy, and grace. This book makes you cry, laugh and think. Think about your life and what is important and what you want to do with the time you have left.
Kirt Graves does a fabulous job creating each quirky character.

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Lovely

I’m very much into this author right now. Their writing hits many areas of interest of mine; super natural, LGBT, family, purpose, and heartwarming story telling. I also really enjoyed “The house on the cerulean sea” which was the first book by TJ Klune that I heard.

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Overall heart warming story

I’ll be honest there were some moments in this story where I felt like I was trudging through quicksand. However, overall a really good book. Kirt Graves did a great job as narrator and I loved the ending. Would recommend.

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oh my goodness!!

Tj Klune is a wonderful writer, and if you haven't read under the whispering door. you are missing out. one of my favorites of all times.

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What an Imaginative Story

What a wonderfully creative book. I absolutely loved listening to the narrator. I have recently lost someone in my life and the creative storyline was comforting to me. I loved the dynamic between the characters. I loved watching Wallace blossom throughout his death. Absolutely beautiful book and unlike any I have ever listened to before. Highly recommend this book!

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