Book review: The Shack

The Shack by William Paul Young was the book club selection for May.

I knew nothing about the book when I bought it; I didn't read reviews or summaries, and had no preconceived notions.

I was really into the book in the first several chapters. Mackenzie (Mack) took his children camping, and while he was saving two of his children in a canoe accident, his other daughter Missy was abducted. They searched the camp grounds and the surrounding area. When they returned to the camp site, they discovered a ladybug lapel pin stuck into Missy's coloring book. Upon further investigation, it's revealed that the FBI has been tracking the "Little Ladykiller" for four years, through nine states without any luck of catching him or finding the bodies of the girls he's abducted. During an intensive search, they discovered evidence that indicated Missy was brutally killed in an abandoned shack deep in the wilderness.

Mack goes into what he calls, "The Great Sadness." Four years later, still in the midst of his "great sadness" he receives a letter in the mailbox from "Papa" inviting to meet at the shack. Is the note from the killer? Or is the note from God?

Mack drives to the shack in the dead of winter, walks toward it, and enters. And this my friends, is where the book loses me... Mack meets God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and spends the weekend with them. And God is a big black woman. And that is relevant to the story as well.

I found the book interesting in that the God he met with is the God I know. I'm not a church goer anymore, but I am spiritual and I believe in God. However, I do not believe in Hell, brimstone and fire. My God is a loving God who wants us to experience things, to learn from experiences, to grow... my God, and the God in the book wants us to be the best we can possibly be and live a good and loving life. God doesn't punish people. God isn't a vengeful God. God is an all-loving all encompassing God.

I completed the book. It was insightful. Although I am not in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) myself, I noticed many AA moments throughout Mack's weekend with the Trinity with regards to going through some of The Steps to better himself. Mack learned a lot about himself, forgave, and was able to "let go and let God."

The books asks, is it possible to let go of control and certainty in life? Is it possible to live only in the present?

Will this book change your life?