[yasr_overall_rating]
Briana Ruiz and Jack McCullough meet in grad school at the University of Texas at Austin. They find themselves conflicted about the current state of economic theory, as well as with each other. Nearing graduation, Briana must decide whether to accept an offer from Parkus Corporation, a company that seems leading edge, but may be engaging in questionable environmental practices.
‘The Entropy Model,’ written by Thomas Tunstall, requires an economics degree to understand but the muddled plot makes finishing the novel a chore. Thomas, an economics professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio, wrote this for the assumed purpose of helping his students understand how economics affects the world. I love the idea of bringing lessons to life. Unfortunately, this story is so far-fetched and hard to follow that the narrative fails to elicit the forced purpose. As a rough draft, this story would be a fantastic jumping off place but the pot has not simmered long enough on this narrative.
First, let’s start with the plot. Briana Ruiz and Jack McCullough meet at the tail end of graduate school at the University of Texas. This is where you need an economics degree because understanding all of this economics stuff isn’t easy nor is it put in layman’s terms for the average Joe. What I do understand is a college graduate like Briana will not get out of college and have multiple fantastic job offers fall on her lap. And yet this is what the what happens to her. No one, even excellent students, leaves college and has multiple companies seek them upon graduation unless nepotism is involved. Also unrealistic is the same grad capable of the equivalent work of somebody who has worked in the economics field for twenty years.
The connection Briana has with Jack is tenuous, their relationship never moves past rocky as they are both obsessed with economics and talk about nothing else. I’m not sure if they are meant to be in a relationship — as dating — or just friends obsessed with the same topic. Either way, their connection feels forced and fails to spur the plot forward. Best in the final draft to make them co-workers and avoid romance in this dry topic. Moving on.
A few strange things happen in Texas, some strange weather patterns and animal patterns which Briana attributes to fluctuations in the economic model. The company trying to hire her, Park’s Corporation, is on the leading edge of economics but has some questionable environmental practices. Briana uses one of their software economic programs — I guess to prove to the company they are hurting the environment and causing distress to the country. I still do not understand how economics, the study of knowledge of consumption and transfer of wealth, affects the weather, but that is what this book tries to claim. Some time passes, which is not annotated well in the novel, Briana And Jack are still friends — or co-workers or something significant to each other — and now work for the government, researching the environmental incidences and how they affect the country.
Most of the novel is the conversation between Jack and Briana or other people about economics. The whole book feels like eavesdropping on the most boring conversation that ever existed. I do not understand how Briana, a fresh graduate, could work the required intricate software and pull out more information than all the economists before her could and be put in charge of all the other economists. I never quite understood what Jack’s role was beyond quick banter with Briana. At some point, there is a conflict between the couple and the Federal Reserve, the White House, and the professors of economics at the colleges because Briana’s work has brought about the next great transition for humans and animals. Together, the great leaders, including Briana, somehow work together to change the financial system before the economic changes ruin the world.
If you can get past the many grammatical errors, you will find no reward as the novel thinks far too much of itself. The characters are capable of grandiose abilities normal people only dream of and make little sense in the story. Back to the grammar, no fresh set of eyes edited this novel or even proofread for Professor Tunstall, as I found many errors that made it difficult to understand the story and I had to reread multiple sections, which was a massive chore. I am in the same boat, my first novel was shelved for its inadequacies. I wish this author had spent more time creating the story as he tells the story instead of immersing the reader in the plot. This is understandable for a first-time novel but should never have made it to a printed copy. The author also abused adverbs, like all the rest of us new to the writing profession — beyond academic writing — I would suggest a few creative writing courses and then hit the ground running.
The plot was bloated, illogical, and far-fetched. I understand the need for the professor to make the lessons real for his students but he should have found a different way or maybe even a ghostwriter to help turn this decent plot into a masterpiece. I appreciate the time the author took to write and his trying to make his students engage with the material but the plot is implausible. The book is a good starting point but is not ready to come off the drawing board.
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