Auralee Arkinsly. Before Long. Capture Books, 2019.

Before Long is cute. It is subtitled Sheer Romance of Finding a Perfect Home. Let’s just say the subtitle is meant to be an example of verbal irony.

Ernest and Esmé are a couple looking to buy their first home. Their motivation appears to be summed up in the old adage that the grass is always greener in the other fellow’s yard. So we also see them buy their second house, their third house, and so on.

Though meant for adults who are house hunting, Before Long is set up as a young reader’s picture book. It should take less than twenty minutes to read it, and readers should get a few laughs over it.

It is a cliché among Christians of all stripes that if you find a perfect church, don’t join it because then it won’t be perfect any more. Similarly, Ernest and Esmé should be told, “If you find the perfect house, don’t buy it because you will make it imperfect once you move in.”

This would make a nice gift book as a tongue in cheek housewarming gift or as a present to someone who is in the market for a new home. Not deep, not any specific things to look for when you are buying a house, just a lighthearted view of human nature, especially as it relates to habitable real estate.