Under the Whispering Door

Ghosts of the past (both literally and figuratively) come to the forefront in these chapters. Found Family and the Importance of Connection emerges as a principal theme as Wallace begins to learn about the difficult backstories of Mei, Hugo, and Nancy. Mei’s family did not listen to or believe her when she told them she was a medium, instead denying her abilities and ultimately casting her out of the family. The motif of listening and not listening recurs throughout the novel; here, it is linked to Mei’s insecurities due to her past. When Wallace accuses her of saying nothing of substance, she retorts that he’s “just not hearing what [he] want[s] to hear” (179). This reflects the way Mei’s mother refused to listen to Mei as a child, and being faced with such similar, purposeful rejection causes Mei to lash out.

Like Mei, Hugo’s past still haunts his present. Though the full story is not revealed until later, the introduction of Nancy and Mei’s hints about Hugo’s former Reaper allude to some of his greatest regrets as a Ferryman. These regrets, along with his strong empathy for others, show that Hugo is caring to a fault. As Wallace learns of the sacrifices Hugo has made to be a Ferryman and the way the job was thrust upon him during a vulnerable time in his life, he can see what Hugo can’t: that Hugo’s guilt guides his life even when he is not to blame.

Almost like Cameron, Nancy is a shell of her former self. Wallace can see how the past impacts Nancy even without knowing her full story. While Mei and Hugo have allowed their pasts to shape them, Nancy has become defined by hers. Nancy’s appearance in these chapters hints at the significant role she will play later in the story; for now, her presence prompts Hugo to draw one of his first personal boundaries, indicating that for as open as he’s been with Wallace, even he has limits.

This group of chapters highlights how few choices Wallace has after the end of his life. In Chapter 6, when Wallace sees Cameron, he learns of what could happen to him if he leaves the tea shop. Later, he learns that the only other way out is through the door at the top of the stairs, which would mean crossing over. Like his previous assumptions about the afterlife, Wallace must cope with the fact that everything he once took for granted as a certainty holds no power in the tea shop. He cannot unhook himself from Hugo without floating away; he cannot even change his outfit. Wallace feels imprisoned because he cannot leave without either leaving behind everything he knows, or losing himself and turning into a monster. This comes full circle at the end of the book, when Wallace realizes, once the choice is taken away from him, that the last thing he wants is to leave the tea shop. By eliminating Wallace’s free will, Klune highlights the inevitability of death and how things will always end regardless of what one may try. In bringing this idea to the forefront, Klune draws attention to the lack of control humans have over their lives in general and shows how certain emotions, like grief and anxiety, must be faced by everyone eventually. By underscoring these inevitabilities, Klune emphasizes The Transitory Nature of Life and suggests that how people deal with these things is an important element of the human experience.

The Influence of Faith is one of the novel’s key themes and is especially foregrounded in these chapters. In Chapter 9, Mei tells Wallace, “[M]aybe it’s just me, but I think I’d feel relieved finding out there are things I don’t know about. It can’t be healthy the other way” (194). In this conversation, she suggests that she does not want to know everything because she must have faith in something, suggesting that the idea of faith is based on the unknown. Klune’s discussions of faith are not inherently tied to religion; instead, they highlight the mysteries of the world, life, and death. Though no one in the tea shop knows what happens when someone goes through the door at the top of the stairs, Hugo still entreats his visitors to trust him and have faith that what lies behind the door must be good.

Similarly, Nelson teaches Wallace that to do human things as a ghost he must “learn to trick [him]self into believing the unexpected” (155). This suggests that it is the belief in something that makes things possible rather than their actual existence. Regardless of what he believes is real or not, to navigate his afterlife, Wallace must learn to have faith that the universe and the people around him want to help him.

Despite Wallace’s frustration over his helplessness, Wallace slowly begins to find a place in the tea shop’s found family. For all that Nelson teases Wallace, it is clear that the older man has begun to take Wallace under his wing. Playing into the “wise elder” archetype, Nelson offers Wallace useful advice, albeit sometimes worded in purposely confusing ways. Wallace also grows closer to Hugo. In addition to learning about Hugo’s parents, Nancy, and Hugo’s former Reaper, Wallace has deep conversations with Hugo about the unknowable aspects of the universe and the nature of grief. Hugo, Mei, and Nelson all deal with Wallace’s transition from cold denial into immature frustration with varying levels of patience and grace. Still, Wallace’s behavior shows that he is already beginning to change; the foundational connections laid in these chapters will guide him as he lets go of his old beliefs.