A real tearjerker of a book. (The Shack - William P. Young)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	The Shack - William P. Young
Date:	26/01/09 (538 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very emotional, great, cerebral tale.

Disadvantages: Bit too thought provoking in parts.

The Shack

WM Paul Young 2007

Now I have no idea how Dooyoo decided that this was a crime/thriller. Okay there is an abduction and murder, but that is not the story at all...well, I say that but....

Okay, let me start again.

I went into WH Smiths the other day, armed with a few Dooyoo recommendations and my credit card, two for one, great stuff, so intending to buy two books, I left with ten.

I saw this on the 'bestsellers' shelf and it states proudly 'New York Times Bestseller, over one million copies in print'. Added to this there are review statements like:

'Brilliant! One of the most faith enhancing books I have ever read' Bear Grylls. There are numerous testaments (pardon the oun) to this book but as most of them are peopel I've never heartd of, Mr Grylls got my attention.

"Mmmm" I thought, the last time I picked up a book on a whim like this it was a good choice so I did so again. I readily admit that it did not sit well amongst my armful of Stephen King, Harlen Coben etc.


~~The Story~~

The main character Mackenzie Phillips (Mack) tells the story via his friend who 'ghost writes' for him.

He is happily married and the story picks up on his pretty, nice life, not overly rich or successful, he has found some work/life balance and we see him on an idyllic weekend by the lakes with three of his children. When one gets into difficulties in his canoe, our main man rescues him, but at the same time leaves his youngest daughter by the lakeside. When he returns his daughter, Missy, has gone.

After a massive search and some clues having been found it is confirmed that his daughter has been abducted and killed, the body is never recovered, this is when 'the great sadness' comes upon him. Understandably, he is not only left with grief and a sense of guilt, but also a huge sense of emptiness and lack of closure, and we are invited into this World when we hear of the small, empty coffin at the funeral.

One day out of the blue he gets a hand written note in his mailbox inviting him to 'The Shack' where his daughter was killed, the note is signed 'from Papa' his wife's nickname for God. He does not know if this is from the killer taunting him, from someone he knows or could it even be from God himself?

Whether he returns to the shack or not I will not tell. I will only say that the note is just the start of his journey; spiritually, geographically and emotionally.


~~~The Style~~~

The actual writing style is quite interesting. As I have said, it is written by a friend using the words and narrative as told to him by Mack.

It is a strange book full of some contradictions; there is wonderful, flowing, descriptive writing in parts, yet other parts are quite basic.

The other contradiction or perhaps I should use the word 'paradox' is how this book can within a page make the reader laugh, or at the very least smile broadly, then cry. There is no doubt the writer is skilled in hitting the right buttons.

The author uses the story to develop some quite major philosophical and theological debates such as the nature of the trinity and the concepts of omniscience and omnipotence. Yet he does it in a way where the reader can develop these ideas or not, it is okay to read the book as a novel and leave it there.....I couldn't.


~~~~My Opinion/feelings~~~~

My first thoughts are....."What exactly should I say here?".....This book made me think, that is a good thing, it made me smile, another good thing, it made me cry, yet another good thing.....yet...it also made me feel a little angry at being 'sucked in'.

What I mean by this is that the book is undoubtedly written by someone that has quite firm religious beliefs. I watched an interview with him on CBN (YouTube) because I was quite intrigued by who would write such a book.

Apparently he wrote the book for his children, to show them 'the big picture' of how he feels and thinks.

I am not religious though I am in a way spiritual and I found this book to be both enlightening and a little disappointing in theological terms. It is all a little obvious, though thought provoking nonetheless.

As a novel/book it is very good, it is not long, 248 pages, and yet it is 'long' in terms of the thought processes required to digest it.


~~~~~~Finally~~~~~~

The ending of this book is not going to be imparted by me, what I will say is that I have not cried as many tears since I read 'The five people you meet in heaven' by Mitch Albom...scrap that, I cried more at this book. The ending is probably one of the most emotional ends to a book that I can remember.

It has, apparently divided the religious masses I the USA with some pastors giving copies out to people so that they might 'discover' God. On the other hand, some of the religious right in America are condemning it as blasphemous.

Interesting stuff. I am all for debate and all for controversy, and reading it I can see both sides of the argument. Come on though, let us not forget it is a work of fiction, it is a novel, and a good one I might say.

Would I recommend it? Oh yes, it is different, and I get tired by reading the same old stuff over and over. This might well turn out to be a marmite book (love it/hate it) but I also think that as a phenomenon, which it is in the USA it is well worth a read.

Summary: The Shack.