Edna’s Death Cafe- Angelina Boden

An entertaining read with a (suitable) smile around a subject we spend our lives avoiding.

Edna lost Ted 13 weeks and two days ago. Ted who was the love of her life- her Teddy

bear as she called him. Struggling to cope with the grief she decides to open “The Happy

Oatcake”, the cafe she owns and runs on a Wednesday evening as a Death Cafe. Free

tea and cake and sympathy. A chance to talk through things with others in a similar

situation. As Edna rightly says, death is one of life’s certainties but is a highly avoided

topic. I didn’t know that Death cafes were a “thing”. There is a death cafe movement www.deathcafe.com. “At a death cafe people often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink

tea and discuss death” “ Our objective is to increase awareness of death with a view to

helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. There are no agenda’s objectives or

themes, It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session. Do

not,  for a second, think that this book is morbid or negative- nothing could be further

from the truth. Edna has everyone's best interest at heart a there is humour and a

smile to be had. This is a lighthearted read albeit around serious topic.

An interesting entertaining read.

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Book Description:

As in life, death is not without its agenda. This is something seventy-nine year old Edna Reid finds out when her partner, Ted, suddenly dies.

To cope with her loss, she sets up a Death Cafe to break down the taboo around death and to encourage other members of the community to discuss it openly. Over tea and cake, the participants hide their fears behind a veil of dark humour.

Religious fanaticism clashes with Victorian spiritualism as Edna’s meetings trigger lively conversations on the fragility of life, anxiety over dying, cost of funerals, and making sure long-lost greedy relatives don’t benefit from inheritances.

Soon, a series of events begin to unfold which threaten to undermine Edna’s livelihood and the Death Cafe meetings. These events just happen to coincide with the arrival of a mysterious stranger into the village.

Who is she and why is she so hostile to Edna?  

Author's Bio:

Angelena Boden has spent thirty- five years as an international training consultant, specialising in behavioural management and conflict resolution. She trained in Transactional Analysis, the psychology of communication and behaviour, her preferred tool for counselling and coaching.

She originates from the Peak District but has spent a life time travelling and living in places as far apart as Vancouver, Dubai, Paris, Seville and Iran. Now semi-retired in Great Malvern, she writes every morning, walks the hills and paints landscapes every afternoon and fits family and reading in between.

She is the author of two traditionally published novels and many articles and blogs.

Her most recent novel, Edna’s Death Cafe is published as an e-book by Matador.

Angelena is keen to meet readers, old and new, and is available for book talks, events, and always chatting over a cuppa (within 60 miles of Worcester).

Links:

angelenaboden.com @AngelenaBoden