2 Book Review: The Shack

The Shack
William P. Young
272 pages
2007


Description:
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.  Against his better judgment he arrives as the shack on a wintry afternoon and walk back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book.

Review:
If you haven't heard of The Shack, then you probably live in....well, a shack. The Shack came out in 2007 and hasn't really lost any of its momentum since.  Because of it not being "new" when I read it, I thought I new everything about this book already.  I had heard what takes place at the shack itself and some of the big ideas it presented.  Let me say to anyone who is in this camp - there is plenty of revelation to go around.  On the same note, I had a lot of expectations for this book as well as preconceived ideas of what this was about.  I will honestly tell you that this book did not disappoint.

The Shack will make you question fundamental principles in your beliefs only to bring you back to the original truth you knew all along - only now your belief is stronger than it was before.  As I said before, the book feels familiar.  Even if you know nothing about the book - one chapter in and you know exactly where its heading.  The strength of The Shack is how it responds to your expectations.  Some might say that it turns them upside down, but I think a more appropriately, it clarifies them.  I am not going to tell you that you should or will agree exactly with how everything plays out in The Shack, but it will make you question them none the less.  Questioning things in life is not evil or a lack of faith, it's actually critical to make sure we haven't stopped moving closer in our relationship to Christ.

The first third of the book plays out much like a crime drama.  They are there to help you understand exactly where the lead character is in life so that you can fully understand the significance of what is about to take place.  The last two thirds of the book is like one giant breath of fresh air.  Literally each page makes you feel as if you are learning what it means to have a relationship with Christ again.  The book feels as if it had a checklist of misunderstand things it needed to properly explain, and each word reveals a new mindset.  The amazing thing is that these revelations are not really new mindsets but new perspectives of established beliefs.

At one point in the book, Jesus describes "the church" to Mack.  He states, "It's simple, Mack.  It's all about relationships and simply sharing life.  What we are doing right now- just doing this - and being open and available to others around us.  My church is all about people and life is all about relationships.  You can't build it.  It's my job and I'm actually pretty good at it."  Those three sentences alone have blown away mine and Christen's prayers for what this blog could be!  And that's just the blog, now apply that to your whole life - you see what i mean.  Later, Jesus speaks of his presence and says, "You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in Creation, or in your joy and sorrow.  My ability to communicate is limitless, living and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa's goodness and love.  And you will hear and see me in the Bible in fresh ways.  Just don't look for rules and principles; look for relationship - a way of coming to be with us."  Again, it's not that he is trying to drastically change what you have been taught, but to change the way you think about it.

Recommendation:
If you haven't noticed, I really loved this book.  If you haven't read this book, READ IT.  If you have read it, read it again - it won't hurt you - or pass along the book to someone else.  If this were a classroom, this would fall under the required reading list.  Even if none of this sounds appealing to you, read it because it's an extremely well told story.  Honestly, you could buy this book for a non believer and they wouldn't know till a third of they way through that it is not just a very well written mystery novel.  I actually dare someone to try that and just see what happens when they actually reach "The Shack".  In all seriousness, this book is excellent.  You will truly miss out on an opportunity to connect with Christ like you never have before.  Please, do it for yourself, read this book.

Post some feedback below or over in the community forums and let me know what you think about the book.  If you read it when it was fresh, let some of the newcomers now how amazing of and experience this book is.

-Raleigh

Email This