James L. Rubart: The Man He Never Was

By Kelly Bridgewater

What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?

Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. 
So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.

His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.

But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.

In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have read a good chunk of James Rubart's novels. While fantasy is okay with certain books, I don't mind them in Rubart's novels. He takes a concept from the Bible and have a hero learn to incorporate the concept into their life. Either from forgiveness to God's love to something deeper. Being familiar with his writing, I knew Rubart would take me for a ride inside the soul of the hero but would tear at my heart along the way.

The writing is clear and concise. I had no problem following Toren Daniels through his though process and watching him interact with the number of characters in the story. The setting is described just enough for me to visual what I need to focus on. When the setting was extremely important, Rubart would spend more time showing me what I needed to know to understand the room.

Toren Daniels is deeply hurting man. Just like a majority of the people in the world today. I really enjoy how the hero is the main character, well actually the only character in the story. Most novels are from the woman's perspective, and I really enjoyed how Toren dove into the deep emotions and struggles bubbling inside a male character. (Yes, I know Rubart is a male author, so he has a leg up on the women writers in this area.) I could relate to him pretty quickly and enjoyed watched his tale of transformation.

The plot is completely different than anything I have ever read before. I enjoyed watching Toren struggle with his problem over and over again. It shows the human side to him. Rubart didn't gloss over his issue with a quick fix. It kept rearing its head over and over. So realistic. But to seek redemption, he needs to rely on God and fully grasp the concept of God's love. While Rubart does a good job at showing how to understand this, I need to go back and re-read some parts of the story I highlighted and spend some time in prayer myself. He had me thinking of the concepts and wanted me to follow and learn like Toren did.

Overall, James Rubart's The Man He Never Was is an unique story and deeply moving. Rubart's story shows the importance of God's love in our lives and the ability to defeat darkness back with trusting God completely. This story gripped my mind and took me for a ride. I highly recommend The Man He Never Was for fans of non-fiction books who are always on the hunt for the next big step to learning something to draw them closer to God. Rubart's stories are written for readers like me who admire Max Lucado's concept but have a hard time enjoying a non-fiction story. I prefer to be entertained to learn a lesson.

I received a complimentary copy of The Man He Never Was by James Rubart from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars