The Shack

Synopsis: Mack

loses a daughter under horrific circumstances. He finds a note that invites him

back to the scene of the crime from Papa, aka God. His weekend is one he will

never forget, and most likely readers won’t either.

The Review:

Beginning with the disappearance of his daughter, Mack must

deal with his own grief and that of his family. It turns out they don’t do that

very well. Communication is lacking around the topic of Missy so each is left

to heal on his own. Mack’s journey through grief takes him on a most unexpected

journey. He gets a note from God, or Papa as he is referred to in the family.

The signed note is put in his mailbox under mysterious circumstances. He knows

it is from God. Or does he? Could it be a prank? The note invites him back to

the shack where his daughter suffered unspeakable trauma and evidence of

Missy’s disappearance clearly points to murder. Her body was never found.

If you have ever had the feeling that “God is watching you,”

as Bette Midler’s song goes, this book seeks to confirm it. Being a person that

has grown up with faith, and much later, growing into faith, this book caught

my attention from the back cover blurb. I assumed it would be preachy and do

feel strongly about being preached to through a novel, but how wrong I was in

my assumptions.

Mack’s wife and kids plan a trip out of town the following

weekend and this gives him the opportunity to return to the shack to see what

this is all about. Once there, he encounters a world foreign to most mortals,

except those who have had near-death experiences perhaps. He meets God, who

happens to be a great cook. He walks with Jesus (on the water, even!), who

really is a carpenter, and he has deep conversations with the Holy Spirit.

These three provide Mack with a weekend he will never forget.

For those who watch “Saving Grace” we know that Earl is the

angel sent to be with Grace as she struggles through life. She never really

needs him; he just appears when he knows

she needs him. Earl looks to be just a regular guy you would overlook on the

street – plaid shirt, jeans, long hair and a pair of Converse shoes. That is

the feeling the reader takes away from this book. As they represent themselves

to Mack in the story, it’s easy to envision three regular everyday people,

possibly even people seen daily taking out the trash around the neighborhood as

the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   

In my mind, I can picture this book as a movie- it is

written almost in screenplay fashion. I can envision Whoopi Goldberg as God,

(you have to read it to get this part), maybe Woody Harrelson as Jesus, and

someone like Selma Hayek as Sarayu, the Holy Spirit. The three work together

throughout the weekend to help Mack “see” and understand his relationship with

God. There are many “Hollywood” moments that would make this book a great

movie.

Anyway, back to the book. The three, Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit, provide Mack with a weekend full of “coming to the light” experiences

that enable him to reach deep within himself and analyze his relationship with

God, especially since the disappearance of his daughter. It really is the point

of the whole book, actually, discovering relationships and how important they

are in life and beyond.

One part that struck a chord with me was the patience God

has for his people. He knows that in the end the world will be as he

envisioned, but because we chose independence (remember Adam and Eve?) he is

letting us exercise that independence without interference. So when people get

frustrated by the lack of intervention by a higher being when some horrible

event occurs, such as this tale unfolds, we have to sit back and roll with it

because we chose this independence.

God’s patience is infinite. He knows the choices we make and

knows when we will make the right choices. In an explanation to Mack, who

questioned why God continued to love him after all the mistakes he has made, God

replies that he knows eventually Mack will come around. In an example about

correcting behaviors, He tell Mack, “Let’s say I know it will take you 47

situations and events before you will actually hear me… So when you don’t hear

me the first time, I’m not frustrated or disappointed. I’m thrilled. Only 46

more times to go” (p. 187).

There is a twist at the end, which makes reading this book

all that more interesting. Mack is faced with a challenge, or a test of sorts,

that will enable him to exercise his newfound experiences. It is a whopper of a

test.

For me, it was a read that I was ready for and one that will

be with me for a long time. Most readers of this book will have something to

identify with if they have lived long enough to make a few mistakes. After

reading it, I felt the need to express my thoughts and hopefully inspire

another soul to read this book.