I’m not sure why I delayed reading this for so long, aside from some preconceived expectations about how the book might end, but I’m glad I finally gave it a shot.
Our protagonist, lawyer Wallace Price, is not a very good person. The negative thoughts or stereotypes you may have had about lawyers pretty much apply here. He’s a workaholic who cares about little more than winning cases. When he unexpectedly dies from a heart attack, only 6 people attend his funeral, and that includes the Priest and the Reaper who has come to collect Wallace’s soul and bring it to Hugo, the Ferryman who will help Wallace get ready to face the afterlife.
Wallace is understandably upset about being dead, and he tries to fight it in a very lawyerly “I want to speak to the manager” kind of way. It doesn’t take him terribly long to come to terms with it, though, and start becoming close to Mei, the Reaper; Hugo; Nelson, Hugo’s deceased grandfather (a ghost like Wallace); and Apollo, Hugo’s deceased dog (also a ghost). The bottom floor of the house they’re in is a tea shop that Hugo and Mei run, and throughout much of the novel there is an awareness that on the top floor is a door through which it is expected that Wallace will eventually go when he is ready to cross into the afterlife. For a while there’s no pressure to cross, but eventually something happens that gives Wallace a week to get himself ready, during which time he tries to do the most good that he can.
I found Wallace’s quick change in behavior credible. While some people might view it as too fast, I can see how death could bring about some pretty quick changes, especially since it’s not like Wallace was trying to live his life as an asshole; he wasn’t always one. I do wish we had seen more of the evolution, though. There seemed to be a bit too much telling, or maybe implying, and not enough showing. I generally enjoyed the rest of the characters. Nelson is a lot of fun, Mei is interesting, who wouldn’t love a ghost dog?, and when the manager (yes, there actually is one) shows up, he is suitably creepy and frustrating. I didn’t feel I got as good a sense of Hugo’s character – he felt a bit flat – but he’s a good guy who likes to help people, which is good enough.
I’m not sure whether to make a direct comparison to The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it’s hard not to since it’s the only other Klune book I’ve read. This one wasn’t as captivating for me. I enjoyed it, but I’m not likely to re-read it, whereas I really can’t wait for the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea.