by Cynthia Nelson

Created on: March 03, 2009

The Shack by William P. Young is a book about a man and his family finding peace and forgiveness after tragedy strikes them. The story is set in Oregon during an ice storm. The main character, Mackenzie Allen Phillips, also known as Mack, is still struggling with the abduction and presumed murder of his youngest daughter, Missy. Four years later, he is still upset and grieving, and he blames God for it. He even blames himself, and wonders what he could have done to prevent it. Mack also has a wife, Nan, and four other children.

The first chapter starts with Mack receiving a mysterious letter from someone named "Papa". The letter invites Mack to return to the shack, a place that holds extremely painful memories for him. The reader soon learns that "Papa" is another name for God.

This letter takes Mack back in time to remember and inform the reader of the tragedy that occurred in his family during a family camping trip to Wallowa Lake in northeastern Oregon. For Mack, the shack is a climatic ending of a desperate search for his daughter, and the beginning of the phase in his life that he calls "The Great Sadness".

Mack decides to visit the shack but hides this information from his family. He hopes to find out exactly what happened to his daughter and to find more clues pertaining to her abduction and murder. However, when he arrives, what he finds there changes his entire life, and he comes face to face with God.

The Shack is based on the Christian principles of never-ending love and forgiveness. But, some of the ideas and imagery conflict with Christian ideology. For instance, some people have had issues with the statement in the book that the Bible reduces God to words. In addition, the Holy Trinity is portrayed in the novel to have more human attributes than spiritual. On the other hand, fans of the book could also argue that the book is fictional, and the author meant getting the spirit and not just the letter of the Bible. Also, the way that Young portrays God is to show the reader that God will not only meet you in your situation, he will also meet you at your level.

Love it or hate it, The Shack by William P. Young is a relevant, gripping, and interesting story about the power of forgiveness and self-examination in an unforgiving, vengeful world. The main character, Mack, renews his faith and finds forgiveness in what seems to be an unforgivable act. The changes and rebirth that Mack experiences prove to the reader that with God, anything is possible.

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