You can only imagine the emotional turmoil that comes with the loss of a child. Especially when you have come to find that they have been brutally murdered, and never recovered their body. Mackenzie Allen Philips youngest daughter Missy is abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the outskirts of the Oregon wilderness. After a long investigation and numerous hours of grief and sorrow Mack begins to make the transition back into his old life. Years later, during a time of great suffering and sadness, Mack receives a mysterious note, inviting him back to the cabin for the weekend. [Apparently from God] Now he bears the question of whether it is nothing but a foul joke, or a spiritual send. Going against all that he had fought to avoid, including the return to a place of loss, Mack arrives at the shack, and finds himself in a battle of whit and perseverance. After a great emotional struggle Mack finds himself on the porch steps, peering back into his greatest nightmare. What he is yet to find will alter his life forever.
Not only is The Shack a book of intensity and mystery, but it wrestles with the timeless question: “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” I believe that this novel would be better enjoyed by someone who is semi-religious. Though it deals with a brutal murder and timeless mystery, it also includes many spiritual references as well. For someone who is even slightly religious I think that this book is a good read, it poses spiritual questions, yet neglects to push you into an uncomfortable state. A good deal of the dialogue is about the problem of evil, but the novel touches on everything from the Trinity, Incarnation and the nature of free will to the nature of relationships, forgiveness and even the role of our imagination.
While I found the writing to be chunky and somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the overall literature and message. While I came to enjoy the book, and found it to be enriching, others have come to discover the book as diminishing to their religious state. All in all, I think that it is mainly about the way in which you look upon the novel. If you go into the book searching for strict biblical reference then the book isn’t for you, while on the other hand, if you enter upon the read with an open mind you will find the outcome satisfying.
Overall, I thought that the book was enjoyable and easy to read, it mends the gap between tragedy and eternity. I am not a very spiritual person, yet I understand many basic principles and found the book inspiring. It opened my eyes to a different view. Throughout the book I laughed, questioned, and at some points found myself trying to drown out my emotions and swallow the lump that was forming in the back of my throat. I greatly enjoyed this book, and encourage others to read it as well, keeping the spirituality bit in mind. Anyone who does read this, I hope that you enjoy it, and that I haven’t bored you to much with this blog, because it truly is a phenomenal book for anyone with an open mind and a liking for a quick mystery filled read.
1 comment:
"Mending the gap between tragedy and eternity"--I like the way you put that. I haven't read this book, but it's too your credit that this review makes me want to put it on my (too long) list of books waiting to be read. You've done a nice job of setting up the situation of the book--without giving too much away, and you seem 'fair and balanced' in your assessment of its prose style (this seems like a book that one would read more for the ideas it raises than the way in which it raises them--not a great book for the AP, necessarily, but clearly a book that seems well worth reading). I'm glad this assignment gave you the opportunity to do so!
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