Book Review, The Shack

Let me begin by saying that the concept of this story is devastating and breathtaking. It is heartbreaking and full of hope. As I started reading, at the recommendation of a couple of friends, one Christian, the other not, I felt the main characters emptiness. I liked him and wanted him to find light. As the story progressed, I liked Mack even more. I liked his family too. They were a normal family and I could relate. As the book described the cause of The Great Sadness, as Mack refers to it, the abduction and murder of his six year old daughter, my heart hurt. I felt scared for the child, thought of my own, and cried. I fully understood the oppression that settled over Mack after such a loss. Then, someone claiming to be God, sends him a letter, inviting him to return to the shack where evidence of his daughter's murder had been found years earlier.

What occurs in the rest of the book is a little harder to describe. Mack literally spends the weekend with, God (Papa), Jesus, and Sarayu (The Holy Spirit). This is where the book gets a bit complicated as far as how it's perceived. When, God, Jesus and Sarayu are speaking, it's best to be reading their words in a quiet place because some of it is in great depth and a bit complicated. I got the gist of it but found if I wasn't paying close attention, I had to re-read the paragraph. There is a lot in the book that is right on! It made me really take a look at Christian life and my relationship with God and others. That being said, there were some parts, from a Christian point of view, that raised a red flag in my head. Phrases I knew were false to Christianity and that I knew would not come from, God, Jesus or The Holy Spirit.

The way Mr. Young describes each setting, particularly the shacks transformation, is beyond words! I was very disappointed that the forward stated that the story is true and it's not.
This book definitely paints a new, more personal, picture of religion. Since I was at a place of needing to feel God on a more personal level, I took something from it. Some worthy lessons. God, in three persons, depicted on a human level, like when He walked the earth, really made me feel a new kind of connection. Keep in mind, despite the Biblical inaccuracies, this book is a tear-jerker. While the resolution Mack is brought to in the end, on its own merit, almost makes the book worth reading, it was difficult, as a mother, to read the parts about his daughter's murder. I found myself crying a few times.

In conclusion, a lot of controversy on this one. I knew nothing about it when I started reading. I'm glad my radar went off throughout. I enjoyed the good and threw out the bad. I know many people might be offended by how human (and yet perfect) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are in this book, but I found that to be the most refreshing part of the story. I believe God meets us where we are, in a way we can relate to Him. That's the info, you decide!