Heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with Klune’s characteristic gentle touch. I speak to the author over Zoom, with his dog Hendrix (who appears in the novel as Apollo) observing in the background. TJ recalls the last time he visited Ireland. “Myself and a few friends of mine flew into Shannon and did a three week-long trip around the country, before travelling around the UK. They lost my luggage so I was wearing the same clothes for like two days. The 39-year-old faced a devastating loss in December 2016, when his partner, fellow author Eric Arvin, tragically passed away. That experience has informed much of his new work. “Every author puts parts of themselves into their books,” says Klune, “but I tend to avoid trying to emulate my characters with real life counterparts, because it could be ethically blurry. I’ve put more of myself into this project than any other. It was a deeply personal story for me to write, given that I had lost my partner a few years ago. The story of Cameron really resonates with me.”Ĭameron’s character is a chilling figure when we first come across him, a soulless creature who seems to have lost his way. Meanwhile, beings known as husks roam the area surrounding the tea house. “That’s how I felt after losing my partner,” Klune acknowledges.
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