The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I find the longer time passes since reading this book, the more I like it. Definitely thought provoking, I often found myself having difficulty falling asleep due to time consuming self-evaluation. Am I forgiving as I should? Where do my priorities fall? Do I care about others as I should? What is my relationship with God? Luckily, I think I checked out as "fair" which is definitely better than "poor." Before reading the book, I was warned that the beginning is hard to get through. Mack's daughter is abducted and you read the painful emotion that he experiences -- from panic to his own struggle with unnecessary, but very human, guilt. Though I did shed a few tears, this plot was completely secondary to the main story -- Mack's relationship with God, His Savior, and the Holy Ghost. I admit that when Mack meets Papa -- God -- it was a little overwhelming for me. I was a little uncomfortable with how casual it was. But I quickly forgot that in this book God was a big black woman who sang as she cooked, and I began to feel a real sense of love between the characters. I realized that though I don't believe God is a black woman, I do believe that the same tender loving relationship -- the kindness and sensitivity that was portrayed through Papa -- is the same as the God I claim to know. I was satisfied with the concepts and lessons that I had learned, or been reminded of, during the time I read this book, but was even happier with the ending because there was an unexpected closure for me.

I do recommend this book to everyone. It is very interesting and thought provoking (perfect for our little book club).

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