Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

19 reviews

momijigari__'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

batwinggoth's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The book has a slow start, but the delivery of main character's struggles and inner monologue are written whimsically and humorous which is a great balance to the dark and heavy themes of the novel. The characters are all written well with great detail to each. The story's narrative is well encompassing of both predictable story progression and the pleasantly unexpected that pull you even deeper into the story being told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Car accident, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Self harm

The book is centered around dead people and meeting people from all walks of life as they die in various ways - understanding and helping them process their dead and pass. Most characters are complicated and real with great detail of their emotions, feelings, and inner dialogue and they process their life and what happened to them or what they're currently going through. There's a child

who died from terminal illness whose mother is actively grieving and constantly visiting the tea shop (central setting of the book).

There's a character who we meet who was

murdered in an ally who recounts his death and expresses his extreme anger drastically.

There's a character who was bullied and emotionally abused

by his parents and experiences a sudden loss of his partner in the hospital and ends up dying by suicide due to his overwhelming grief.

The main character begins as an extremely toxic, workaholic and overall extremely bitter man who had been once married to a woman, the both of whom where extremely toxic and gaslighting towards each other in the end. The sexual harassment

is only in reference to a man and a woman who visit their tea shop often and constantly hits on Hugo in inappropriate ways and in one instance the man even says he'll 'wear him down' despite Hugo already rejecting him multiple times.

The animal death

is only mentioned because a main character, Apollo, is a ghost dog who had passed.

I may have missed other important instances of tagged content, but hopefully this helps give folks a better idea about the themes who need it to determine whether reading the book is right for them. I'd say while it's not impossible to skip past some graphic subjects, death and grief are unavoidable and I would suggest you not read the book if you are actively in mourning yourself unless you find reading about other people's grief and experiences cathartic in processing your own grief.

tori_spring's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Suicide

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders

kerrygetsliterary's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was fully prepared for a 4-star rating for this one, and then dammit, the ending got me. 😢 One very specific part of it. And I feel that if a book can make *ME* tear up, it deserves 5 stars. 😂

This is a very character-driven story, and while those usually aren't my favorite, I loved this one. The characters were so well written and thoroughly developed, and I fell in love with all of them. Nelson cracked me up!

Themes of grief, joy, love, found family, and hope are all prominent here. I loved this book and highlyrecommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Medical trauma, Murder, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent and Car accident

spookily's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cancer

cultbyproxy's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“There is a catharsis to grief, though we don’t usually see that in the midst of it.” 

I started writing this review when I was only 30% into the book. If that doesn’t show how much I love this book, I don’t know what will. 

Klune has a gift for writing some of life’s greatest tragedies in such a hopeful manner. Similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under The Whispering Door follows a male protagonist journeying through a difficult situation: death. Or more specifically, what comes after death. We see Wallace Price as he moves on to what comes next with the help of some unique characters and even aids a few characters along his journey.

Klune’s characters are always captivating and have unique quirks that truly make the reader feel invested in not only the storyline and all it’s little twists and turns, but the wonderful characters and their developments. He alludes to The House in the Cerulean Sea several times through pictures of “an island in the middle of the sea, a strange home set on its cliffs” that are hung on the walls of the house and that is a minor detail which really stuck out to me. 

Klune has a striking voice that comes out on his pages and it has only gotten stronger in his second novel. His attention to detail in the timing of his plot and how to better construct his story doesn’t go unnoticed and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child death and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders

caidyn's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Another great adult book by Klune. This book is so heartfelt about grief and death and processing it all. I loved that. Plus, all the queer characters and going over queer pain and coming out, even coming out late in life. I'll definitely reread this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

emmalyn_reads's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh where do I even begin?! This was such a fantastic take on what happens to us when we die! The notion that we see the end of our life, are lead to a way station to process it and eventually move on with no fear, no regrets, no hesitation into something so...freeing. Then don't even get me started on Apollo, Mei, Nelson, Wallace and above all, Hugo. Apollo, the forever bestest boy. Nelson, tethered to his grandson in the most heart wrenching way, always just him and Hugo. Mei, with her open heart and spit fire attitude. Nelson, with all his humanly faults who found his way when he least expected it but unexpecting it. Then sweet, handsome, caring, beautifully broken Hugo. This book struck me so hard, had me laughing, crying and screaming "you're damn right" far too often. I will forever be a top favorite, something TJ Klune is quickly becoming himself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Medical trauma, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

alldebstinations's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is perfect! The character growth is so well done, the imagining of all of it is beautiful, and I really want to have tea with Hugo. I wonder what flavor he would choose for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, and Outing