 You are more than welcome to write a review, simply click here. REVIEWS The future .... or, is it the present ... utopia or nightmare?
Each of the protagonists in this novel see their world differently, but how real is their reality?
To what extent does the perceiver create the reality he perceives?
The reader is drawn into the lives of the people in the waiting room.
What is the symbolism of the waiting room?
What lies beyond the waiting room?
This is a suspenseful read, thought provoking, alarming and timely.
It raises questions we would do well to examine today. Diane Eklund–Abolins has created, with keen insight, an amazing mosaic of the complexities of the mind as borne by Arthur, who suffers from an obsessive–compulsive disorder as well as anxiety and depression. His anxiety is heightened by his fear of the unknown as he endures an increasingly long stay in the waiting room. He not only fears what lies beyond the exit door but also what the Unitas government intends to do with him.
Arthur and Thea live and work for an authoritarian party, known as “UNITAS”. They have received letters to present themselves to reception on a specified date on a specified floor of a specified building. They have no idea why they have received a letter and when they reach the waiting room at separate times they are confronted by an unfriendly receptionist which they find alarming. This story follows their thoughts as they grow more concerned as to what waits beyond the exit door. UNITAS has modified the society it dominates for example that individual freedom and rights are unimportant. They are not permitted to raise their children as the State takes over their education and careers. I have now finished The Waiting Room and have found it very confronting. We see life as we know it slipping away, little by little. At first, one thinks it can't be so but in good ole hindsight everything is very clear indeed.
To add more substance to Diane's writings there are world happenings to substantiate The Waiting Room. What we are now seeing taking place in Hong Kong, and an ABC Four Corners programme on parts of China. I finished THE WAITING ROOM, with a cautious sense of optimism, although throughout the book I was not always so certain of such outcomes for all characters. 1984 was in my mind too. I wanted to shake the receptionist although she too could not escape. I admire your consistent, often subtle, iteration of theme.
It is obvious that you enjoy the craftsmanship of writing, and I did admire the nuanced structure of the novel. The Waiting Room by Diane Eklund–Abolins is an interesting and thought–provoking novel where two main characters, Arthur and Thea, living in a dystopian society, are summoned to attend an appointment and are placed into a waiting room to await their turns. Here each dwell on why they may have been called upon and what exactly might be waiting for them on the other side of the exit door. They reflect on their past lives, reliving memories and experiences and how these combined moments have come together to create the life they are living now and will live into the future. We also meet the receptionist of the waiting room who also has her own tale to tell. Are they content with their present situations or unhappy with the vast amount of change that has happened since the formation of the controlling society in which they find themselves living? Will they persevere and find acceptance or take back control of their own destinies? Arthur and Thea are two adults living and working in a futuristic society run by an authoritarian party known as ‘Unitas’. Both receive letters from the party administration ordering them to present themselves to reception on a specified floor of a specified building on a specified date. |