Although set in contemporary times, Urn Burial takes place in a very conservative locale and the book's gender roles are fairly traditional. Ralph's mother, however, is a hard working woman. Despite her poverty and lack of learning, she demands the respect due a competent, if somewhat overbearing single parent. Ralph's girlfriend, Ruby, although traditionally feminine in some ways, also works for a living and is actually more sexually aggressive than is Ralph. In keeping with Westall's strong emphasis on individualism and his distrust of large organizations and their representatives, various governmental institutions, most notably the postal authorities, the police, and the military, are not always shown in a positive light. Urn Burial's environmental theme, although not obtrusive, emphasizes the need for individual, small-scale action. The novel's science fictional treatment of the devil and the Book of Revelations may be disturbing to readers coming from a fundamentalist...