It's okay if you don't like Malcolm Atherton.

Malcolm is one of the main characters of the Data Driven series. He represents many of the ways that life goes bad. But it's just a beginning for him. Spoiler Alert: He will change.
Malcolm Atherton is an angry, swearing, self-centered, alcoholic that only cares about his own interests. It isn't until he meets Julianne that he begins to develop an awareness of what he's missing. Unfortunately, it takes three books for him to finally give everything up.

Now, be patient with me for a minute while I change subjects. I'd like to tell you about tomatoes.
Do you know how a tomato turns red?

There are a multitude of factors that God has put in place in order for a tomato to turn from green to red.
- The temperature must be between 50 and 85.
- The soil pH must be between 6.0 and 6.8.
- The moisture of the soil is critical.
- Sunlight must be direct at least eight hours a day.
- The wind cannot be so strong as to carry the ethylene gas away from the fruit.
- And, of course, I don't have to mention the battle of the pests.

God has put all of these things in place to make sure that the bright red fruit is available to us. What a blessing!

So many things could go wrong, it is a wonder the little tomato ever survives to maturity. And everything must be in the proper order. A tomato cannot turn red unless it has reached the mature green stage.

What does this have to do with Malcolm Atherton? He needed to turn green before he could reach his final goal of turning red. Throughout the series he is slowly learning who God wants him to be.


Source:
Rhoades, Heather. "Learn What Makes A Tomato Turn Red." Gardening Know How. Gardening Know How, 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 July 2017.