Library Staff Recommendation
You know you are in for something unusual when the protagonist dies at the end of the first chapter, and the book is not in media res.
Our protagonist, Wallace, is shown to be a thoroughly obnoxious figure. The reader is given plenty of reason to dislike him right from the beginning, and his funeral makes it clear that he has no friends and those close to him also disliked him. Mei and Hugo, however, have a special connection to the spirit world and it is their duty to help Wallace pass over to the next world.
It is perhaps unsurprising that this is a redemption story. Wallace begins as a horrible person, but over the story we see him change. As a ghost, he becomes more human than he was when alive. Meanwhile, Mei and Hugo start as loveable characters, but the story gradually introduces us to the darkness and hurt that lays in their pasts.
Klune is adept with words and knows how to balance humorous and serious scenes to play with the reader’s emotions. I found that I came to love all the major characters and was so attached to them that I cried non-stop for the last 100-150 pages.
4/5 Stars
Reviewed by Rebecca