The Man He Never Was by James Rubart

The Man He Never Was: A Modern Reimagining of Jekyll and Hyde by James L. Rubart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a free digital ARC of this book.

Toren is a professional football player who deals with major anger issues that stemmed from his childhood. His anger went through the roof when he stopped playing football and had no where else to let go of his anger. His anger affected his two children and his once wonderful marriage. One day Toren wakes up in a hotel and realizes that he's lost about 9 months of his life. He has no memory of what happened in those 9 months. When he goes home, his wife faints and his children are in shock. They had already had a funeral for him because he was presumed dead! The rest of the book focuses on Toren's search for what happened to him during the lost 9 months as well as emotional and spiritual healing that he never would have dreamed possible.

I enjoyed this book. It was part mystery and drama. I loved the connection that this book has with the classic works of Jekyll and Hyde as well as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Much of the struggle that Toren has in this book is a metaphor of the struggle each Christian faces with the old man and the new man. There were times right before the climax of the book where I was about to stop reading it because it got a little bit too "out there". However, I am glad I kept reading, because the resolution brought wonderful spiritual truths that I will probably remember for a long time.

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