Have you ever wondered what comes after? TJ Klune’s latest book tells the story of Wallace, who comes to a “way station” after dying of a heart attack. Here he befriends Mei the Reaper, another ghost named Nelson, the ferryman Hugo, and the dog ghost Apollo.

TJ Klune once again had me laughing then sobbing then smiling from ear to ear all in the course of a few pages. This story is reflective, sweet, and surprisingly hopeful for a book where the main character dies in the first chapter. Klune is an expert at balancing emotions throughout the character development. I particularly enjoyed the way depression and anxiety were depicted throughout this story and the ways that the characters refuse to define others by their mental health. 

The only critique I have is truly that I just wish there was more of this book. Particularly more of Wallace and Hugo towards the beginning. For the first half of the book Wallace almost exclusively spends time with Nelson or at times Mei, there’s not a lot of Wallace and Hugo scenes early on which could have established their relationship better in the early part of the book. While I thought their relationship was sweet and sincere, it was not shown as much as I would have liked throughout the course of the book. 

TW/CW: Suicide, depression, anxiety, death, death of a child, death of a parent.