“That’s how I felt after losing my partner,” Klune acknowledges. Meanwhile, beings known as husks roam the area surrounding the tea house. The story of Cameron really resonates with me.”Ĭameron’s character is a chilling figure when we first come across him, a soulless creature who seems to have lost his way. It was a deeply personal story for me to write, given that I had lost my partner a few years ago. I’ve put more of myself into this project than any other. “Every author puts parts of themselves into their books,” says Klune, “but I tend to avoid trying to emulate my characters with real life counterparts, because it could be ethically blurry. That experience has informed much of his new work.
The 39-year-old faced a devastating loss in December 2016, when his partner, fellow author Eric Arvin, tragically passed away. They lost my luggage so I was wearing the same clothes for like two days. “Myself and a few friends of mine flew into Shannon and did a three week-long trip around the country, before travelling around the UK. TJ recalls the last time he visited Ireland. I speak to the author over Zoom, with his dog Hendrix (who appears in the novel as Apollo) observing in the background. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with Klune’s characteristic gentle touch. With Hugo’s help, Wallace finally learns about all the things he missed in life – including love. There he meets Hugo, the ferryman for souls who need to cross over. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a tea shop in a small village. When a reaper comes to collect cold-as-ice lawyer Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he might be dead. Under The Whispering Door goes down another route entirely. The latter was inspired by the so called Sixties Scoop, which saw the Canadian government remove Indigenous children from their homes and place them with white, middle-class families.
He earned a reputation for penning tales of queer romance, with a tender eye for detail, There were accolades aplenty for Into The River I Drown (2013) and New York Times bestseller House In The Cerulean Sea (2020). Now based in North Virginia, TJ Klune first rose to prominence in 2011 with his debut, Bear, Otter And The Kid. It’s filled with Klune’s signature warmth and empathy. Everything about this work of fantasy fiction takes the reader by surprise, somehow mingling grief with feel-good humour. The Oregon native is refreshingly eager to discuss his new novel, Under The Whispering Door. This interview is the only thing holding TJ Klune back from his vacation, he doesn’t mind.
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