Whenever I sit down to read the scriptures, I have mental pictures of how the persons depicited looked. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the paintings throughout the volume. :) But I've always pictured Abinadi as being an older man. LDS author H. B. Moore challenges this theory in her new novel, "Abinadi," just released by Covenant Communications. In her research, she could find no evidence that Abinadi was elderly. In fact, she found no reference to his age at all. And so, like all good novelists, she used her imagination and asked the classic literary question: "What if?" What if Abinadi was a young man? What if he had a wife? What if his life was cut short by the hand of King Noah when he still had years ahead of him?
It took me a couple of minutes to wrap my mind around that idea. After all, I've been looking at the painting of an elderly Abinadi for years. But as the story unfolded, I was sucked in. Moore has a way of placing the reader within the story and adding details that lend to authenticity without making it seem forced or unnatural.
I enjoyed the way she depicted Abinadi, his personality and his strength. I also liked the way she wove Alma into the story, showing us how easy it was for him to get roped into King Noah's service, and how sick he felt when he realized what he had done. I liked the juxtaposition of these two characters and how, in the end, we see them become of one mind.
This novel is Moore's best, in my opinion, and I'm eager to see what she produces next. I understand "Abinadi" is the first in a new series, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for the next installment.
(This novel was published in 2008 by Covenant.)
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