1 out of 4 stars
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In Animating Principle, Darin Graves explores the question of whether one can intentionally commit the sin of murder and still go to heaven. When Jim loses the love of his life, he becomes obsessed with avenging her death. If he carries out his plot for revenge, will God forgive him or will Jim jeopardize the possibility of being reunited with his loved one?
Jim grew up with religious parents but became intrigued by evolution during college. He was a successful pharmacist when he met his soulmate, Allicia; Jim's love for her would forever impact how he viewed life. They begin to make plans for the future when someone from Allicia's troubled past returns. Jim is left consumed with anger, grief, and loss. Seeking revenge won't bring Allicia back, but maybe it will bring him peace.
I'll start with what I liked about the book. In the introduction, the author described his Christian upbringing and his education in college; learning about science fascinated him, and he earned a degree in psychology. He goes on to explain his belief that culture, individual environments, and DNA contribute to the make-up of a person. "My book questions whether or not the main character, Jim, can sin against what he believes and still pass into heaven's gates." It's quite an interesting premise for a book, and what I liked most. I also appreciated a heartfelt story the author shared about his mother that shaped his view of life.
Unfortunately, I can't find much else positive to say about the book. According to the synopsis, I expected the story to appeal to readers interested in both evolution and Christianity. However, the concepts weren't clearly presented on either topic. The theme of carrying out retribution becomes repetitious. Setting aside the spiritual ramifications, Jim's habit of praying before he commits each sin is inconsistent with his other actions in the book. I anticipated the possibility of having my beliefs challenged, but I was intrigued by the promised premise of the story. What I did not expect were descriptions depicting cruelty to animals and awkward sexual encounters. The overall story would have been improved by omitting them.
The book was not professionally edited; it was rife with errors. Also, the book didn't have a lot of characters, so it's difficult to conceive why midway through, the author suddenly changed the spelling of Clarence to Clearance. If the different spelling occurred a few times, I would chalk it up to typos, but it was consistent through the latter portion of the book. The same pattern was repeated with Jim's cousin, Andy, who suddenly became Adam. I find name errors particularly frustrating. If the author can't keep his characters' names straight, how can the reader?
For all of the above reasons, I rate the book 1 out of 4 stars. I do believe the book's premise has potential, but I cannot recommend it in its current state.
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Animating Principle
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