GCN contributor David Ferguson takes a deep dive into the books by author TJ Klune, whose experiences with asexuality, queerness, and neurodiversity have influenced his writing, bringing to life a diverse cast of extraordinary characters.
The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020)
The book tells the story of Linus Baker, a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is a by-the-book type and is basically a cog in a bureaucratic wheel, and has little emotional engagement with the children he monitors. Due to his years of spotless employment, he is given a very special assignment. He is sent to a seemingly top-secret orphanage to check on six extra special magical youth, one of whom may bring about the apocalypse.
The orphanage is run by the mysterious Arthur Parnassus. Linus is given very little detail, but he and his cat Calliope leave the city and head to the strange house by a cerulean sea.
The book is full of wonderful and diverse characters with a heartwarming message at its core. Think of that famous magic book series, except there is actual diversity, both in the kinds of magical creatures that are the main characters and the queer representation.
Klune aims to be the antithesis of that particular author. Klune’s speech in the audio version, where he called out She Who I Will Not Name and said he wanted to be her opposite, got me really emotional. Klune wrote this as a standalone book, but I also recommend the follow-up, Somewhere Beyond the Sea.
It should be noted that in the past, The House in the Cerulean Sea has attracted some controversy after the author mentioned that one inspiration for the story was the Sixties Scoop, a period in Canadian history when Indigenous children were taken from their families and communities and placed in foster homes.
Earlier in April, it was announced that The House in the Cerulean Sea will be adapted into an animated series developed by Warner Bros. Animation.
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Under the Whispering Door (2021)
Under the Whispering Door is all about death and grief. The book was inspired by Klune’s real-life loss of his fiancé, and he calls the book “deeply personal.” The story begins with the death of the main character, Wallace Price, a horrible human being who was a lawyer when he was alive.
At his poorly attended funeral, a reaper named Mei appears. Instead of bringing him to the afterlife, she brings him to a tea shop called Charon’s Crossing run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is a ferryman who will lead Wallace to the afterlife when Wallace is ready. Klune writes with such humour and empathy and this is another book that hits you in the feels. The book asks the question, “What will you do with the time you have left?”
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In The Lives Of Puppets (2024)
I was quite excited at the prospect of listening to In The Lives Of Puppets. Not only is it read by Daniel Henning, the narrator who did such marvellous things with the Cerulean books, but it was TJ Klune’s take on Pinocchio, probably my favourite Disney film.
In the woods, safe and hidden, lives an odd family. A sadistic nurse machine called Nurse Ratchet, a small vacuum who seeks love and attention called Rambo, an inventor android named Giovanni Lawson and his son, a human boy, called Vic. When Vic salvages a robot named HAP, he unwittingly notifies robots from Gio’s past of his whereabouts.
After he is taken, Vic and company head to the City of Electric Dreams to solicit the help of The Blue Fairy. Klune’s book is inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), the stories that inspired the Disney version. I actually took a while to warm up to this one, but it ended up being my favourite one.
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Klune’s books are full of warmth, empathy and humour. The ones I have read are all about found family and each one has LGBTQ+ and POC representation. I must particularly note, given that TJ Klune himself is asexual, the inclusion of asexual characters, too. I’m not ashamed to admit that I haven’t managed to make it through one of his books without tearing up or just full-on crying. A lot of it was happy tears. I actually had to take a break from them due to their emotional impact. I’ll get back to them, though.
I have The Bones Beneath My Skin (2018) already in my library. Klune also has three books on the way: We Burned So Bright (2026), Murmuration (2026) and The Stars Look Like Home (2027). That last one has a dog on the cover and Klune, who knows his reputation for emotional impact, promised no harm will come to the dog.
There’s also that Green Creek series. A queer werewolf fantasy series. I kind of have to.
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Find out more about TJ Klune’s books here. And for more queer book recommendations, check out this article.
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