A poignant depiction of the Christian's wait in this world for the world to come.
Plot
When Bernard’s breathing became shallow and even, the nurse thought he had died. He thought he had died. He finds himself in the dilapidated municipality of Old Town Hertham and, somewhat bewildered, but nevertheless desiring a good and comfortable home, launches himself into the grueling business of getting himself put down on the Waiting List of those who would have homes in the gloriously fresh city of New Town.
Morality
Biblical morality is held to unwaveringly. In the case of two of the three people the book follows, chastisement is meted out for unseemly behavior. It is mentioned in the legal documents for those who would apply for a New Town home that good conduct is necessary in the applicant or the application is void.
Spiritual Content
Old Town and New Town and the workings of them, both people and politics, are gently though barely-veiled images of the City of Man and the City of God. The persons of the Trinity are all mentioned as well as their work in established not only New Town, but also the means by which people apply and move to it. Symbolism in ceremony is used by those who have made it onto the Waiting List and are expecting to move to New Town.
Violence
The whole Old Town is undergoing constant decay, and the house in which Bernard stays is all but torn down by storms, rot, and ground failure. People are lost in cave-ins, but none of the main characters are seriously hurt, nor are any accidents described graphically.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
The first of the three characters is Bernard’s old girlfriend, and the second of the three is the woman’s daughter, to whom Bernard is drawn. While age is not a problem in Old Town, Bernard and the girl are a little hasty in their attachment, though they are chastised. Kisses are exchanged. Bernard’s old girlfriend attempts to allure him, but to no avail. This, too, is stopped. As a bachelor, Bernard suffered murmured accusations of being homosexual. One of the characters makes a few untoward as well as unfounded comments herself as regards Bernard’s character.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
Fast-paced, an easy read, Blamires hurls the reader into a new kind of view, a view which all Christians ought to already be aware of. In the confines of Old Town, the Waiters look expectantly toward the day when they can take residence in the unfading city New Town, and by this Blamires poignantly depicts the aching years of waiting which all Christians providentially undergo in this life as we wait for the coming of Christ and the renewal of the world. This is a message which is by its very nature enduring and true, and cannot be repeated too many times.
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