The Shack by William Young

The Shack

So I finally got around to reading That Really Really Popular Christian Book of the Year, William Young's the Shack. I know people who have absolutely loved it, saying it changed the way they viewed God and the Trinity and heaven and forgiveness. And I know people who have absolutely loathed it, saying it was full of blasphemy and false doctrines. I guess I fell somewhere in the middle.

From the publisher's website: 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, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  

Since I'd heard so many positive and negative reviews, I took my reading with a grain of salt. I figured I'd come across things I didn't agree with, but I also wanted to see if I could look at another side of God's character. And I found both. I liked the parts about being in community with Creation and how the rocks and trees and animals cry out that there is a Maker. The way he described relationships using colors was particularly moving. I also liked how Young presented the community of the Trinity as well. The best part of the book was about God and relationships. It really encourages readers to think less legalistically and more relationally, and I think that's it's a message most Christians desparately need to hear. 

As a side note, my favorite line from the whole book comes when Mack asks God about why He is portrayed as a father in the Bible when He actually transcends gender. God's response is: "Well," responded Papa, turning away from him and bustling around the kitchen, "there are many reasons for that, and some of them go very deep. Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering. Don't misunderstand me, both are needed -- but an emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absense." I see the lack of fathering (not in my own life! My dad rocks.) throughout this world and it makes me so very sad.

On the other hand, I didn't agree with some of the ways he portrayed God. Every once in a while God would say things like, "I don't understand why people..." etc. Um, He's God. I'm fairly certian he gets it all. Also, the interaction between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit got a little weird for my taste. I also didn't think it was particularly well-written (a heavy overdose of adverbs and adjectives!). This is something that always detracts from stories for me, so I tried hard not to think about it. But sometimes it really drove me crazy. I know it was originally self-published, but I think a line editor could have improved the writing by leaps and bounds.

One more thing. Pretty much everyone I've talked to who has read the book is sure it's a true story; that Mack is a real guy and he really had a vision of/visitation with God. The author, however, says it's fiction. Not that there aren't truths in the book, but you can't hunt down Mack and ask him about his story. Just thought I'd clear that up.

My Rating: 6 out of 10 for offering some beautiful insights. I wish the writing hadn't detracted from those moments for me.