This was a book I had never heard of. My wife brought it home from the store. She said some people had complained about it. I offered to read it and give her my opinion. I thought it was a great book.
 The Shack, written by William Young, walks us through the life of Mackenzie Phillips. The book starts with Mack on a camping trip with his three kids. When the two oldest have a problem with their canoe in the water, Mack races to the rescue only to return to find his youngest daughter, Missy, has disappeared. The only thing left is a lady bug stick pin which, we discover later, is a symbol left by a serial killer. Although the police acted quickly, it wasn't fast enough. They never find Missy, but they find part of her dress and a blood stain on the floor of an old abandoned shack in the Oregon woods. The "Great Sadness" engulfs Mack.
One day, four years later, he gets a note in the mailbox asking him to return to the shack. Supposedly the note is from God. He goes. This is when the story gets really interesting.
At the shack he meets God. He asks the same questions of God that all of us have asked. Why did this have to happen? Why did you let it happen? How can I go on? There, at the shack, Mack hears the answers he needs to hear.
Some people won't like the book for different reasons. There are a few places where God bashes structured religion. God appears as a woman. Some parts of the fantasy are a stretch.
However, I believe most people will like it and will relate to the story in a variety of ways. We walk with Mack as he seeks answers from God. Some of the answers will surprise you. Some are very predictable.
Reviews I read about this book proclaim it to be the modern Pilgrim's Progress. I don't think so. It is a novel with a fantasy part much like that of one of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. The literary style was fun and changes several times, although there is a lot of dialog.
In summary, I would recommend this book to anybody. Just remember that it is a novel and not a theological book and you will enjoy it a lot. |
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