Sherry's Place

I saw this book mentioned in a blog somewhere, and was intrigued by the history of the publication. It seems that this book was originally written for Young’s kids, and was rejected by not only mainstream secular publishers, but by the Christian publishers as well. Evidently Young published his own book, and by word of mouth, little by little, his book gained popularity. The book did end up on the New York Times bestseller’s list for several months.

The book itself is a nice little story. The main character “Mack” is touched by the tragic kidnapping and murder of his young daughter. Several years after the girl’s bloodied clothes are found in a shack in the woods, Mack receives an invitation from God to meet Him at the shack. There Mack meets God in the manifestations of the Trinity: God, Son, and Holy Spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of the Trinity. I won’t spoil the fun, but let’s say that the characters of the Trinity will probably not fit your mind’s usual mental picture of each.

The Shack probes the questions that most of us have as we go through life. Mack spends the weekend with the Divine Beings and works through the meaning of suffering. Many can relate to this exercise, and there are very touching moments in the text. Tears will be shed by many who read this book. Perhaps a literary purist will find fault in some of the dialogues. I have seen reference to others claiming that there are “theological holes” in the presentation. Granted, the picturing of God as He/She in the book does not really meet the Biblical description of God. Others point to the humanizing of God as borderline, if not complete blasphemy. You decide.

This book, with its remarkable genesis, is, in my opinion, still worth a read.