Wallace Price’s death came at the least convenient of times. As a busy lawyer, he had work to do and cases to win and then he found himself at his own funeral as a ghost, watching his colleagues and his ex-wife all talk about what an asshole he was. While viewing his funeral, Wallace is collected by Mei, a bubbly young woman, who informs him that she is a Reaper, there to take him to the ferryman who will help him cross over. Wallace informs her that he does not have the time to be dead, but she takes him to a tea shop in the middle of woods, where he is to wait until he is ready to cross over.

Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats is an unusual waiting place for the dead, given that it is full of life. Everyday the living arrive to line up for the famous tea and scones. It is in the tea shop that Wallace meets his ferryman, Hugo, a handsome and empathetic young man, who is as calm as Mei is excitable. It is also in the teashop that Wallace first meets fellow ghosts: Nelson, who was Hugo’s grandfather, and Apollo, who was Hugo’s dog.

Wallace initially spends all of his effort attempting to flee the teashop, although he quickly learns that to leave is to destroy his sense of self. So he resigns himself to watching the everyday events of the teashop, annoyed that he died in sweatpants, dooming him to an afterlife in sweats. But as Wallace broods, he becomes curious about the people and ghosts around him, especially Hugo.

Wallace’s character development is slow and excellent. He learns to care for other people and share in their grief gradually. He begins to help people who cannot even see him. A message displayed in the teashop serves as a reflection of his journey:

“The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family.”

The ending is not surprising, but it is lovely and perfect.

I was expecting this to be quirky and humorous. (It was.) I was not expecting it to be the sweetest and slowest love story. (It really was.) It reminded me of both A Christmas Carol and The Midnight Library, but it was more joyful and bittersweet than both of those. The world Klune created is original, but it’s the characters that make this story worth the journey. While all of the characters are enjoyable, it is Hugo who became my favorite. Recommended for readers who enjoy humorous writing, creative worlds, and LGBT love stories.

Book Club Menu

A tea time menu is the only appropriate choice for this book.

• Assorted tea sandwiches. A recipe for a smoked salmon tea sandwich is below. Additional options would include ham and cheese; egg salad; chicken salad; and cucumber sandwiches
• Strawberry scones (recipe below)
• A selection of black and herbal teas (my preferred brands are Tazo and Rishi), plus sugar, cream, and lemon.
• If serving alcohol, consider a sparkling rosé

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwich

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwich
Servings: 2 lunch portions or 4 teatime portions
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
4 slices of your preferred sandwich bread
4 oz smoked salmon
1/4 of an English cucumber, sliced thinly
1 radish, sliced thinly
Whipped cream cheese
Dill (optional)
Directions
Spread cream cheese on all 4 slices of bread.
On 2 of the bread slices, layer smoked salmon, cucumber slices, radish slices, and dill (if using). Top with remaining slices of bread.
Cut off crusts. Cut into desired shapes.

Strawberry Scones with White and Dark Chocolate

Strawberry Scones with White and Dark Chocolate
Servings: 8
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Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 1/4-inch cubes
½ cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon 
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
½ cup white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture until it has the consistency of sand.
In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients, minus 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. 
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. Don’t over mix. 
Gently fold in the strawberries and white chocolate chips.
Transfer dough to a floured countertop and gently push the dough together with your hands, just until it forms a ball. Flatten the dough into a 1-inch circle, taking care not to overwork the dough. Use a knife to cut the scones into 8 triangles.
Place scones on your prepared baking sheet and place it in the freezer for 25 minutes. 
Remove the scones from the freezer. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with the additional heavy cream. Sprinkle the scones with turbinado sugar. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until scones are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
As the scones are cooling, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler.
Transfer the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut off one corner of the bag.
Immediately drizzle chocolate over the scones.