The Shack

by William P. Young
paperback, personal copy, 248 pages

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but it's not one of my top tens. I enjoyed our book club discussion even more than reading the book itself! Most of us felt that it was primarily a story about God's love and desire for relationship with us. Some felt that it was purposefully trying to "rock" people's preconceived notions. It was interesting to hear about some Christians' objections to the book. It almost seems like some folks are going out of their way to find something to object to.

Mack's beloved youngest daughter has been abducted and brutally murdered, the body never found. "The Great Sadness" descends on him until he finds a note in his mailbox from "Papa," his wife's name for God. Not sure what he'll find, Mack returns to the site of the crime to get some answers. There, he encounters three beings who change his life.

I almost didn't finish the book before the book club got to my house! I was glad I did, though, because there was a surprise twist at the end. This is definitely a worthwhile read. Many of us would love to hear a non-believer's perspective on it.

 

<Above posted  8.02.2008. Below added 7.10.2026.>

 

In my ongoing project to read Christian books as part of my morning devotions and decide about keeping or donating them, I decided to re-read this one. It has been eighteen years since I first read it! It was published in 2007 and I own this copy. I will be donating it after this entry. (I again put waaaay too many post-its in this! I may not blog them all . . . )

 

Page 15: One can almost hear a unified sigh rise from the nearby city and surrounding countryside where Nature has intervened to give respite to the weary humans slogging it out within her purview. All those affected this way are united by a mutual excuse, and the heart is suddenly and unexpectedly a little giddy. There will be no apologies needed for not showing up to some commitment or other. Everyone understands and shares in this singular justification, and the sudden alleviation of the pressure to produce makes the heart merry.

 

I love how the author captures the amazing quality of a snow day. I love having the "excuse" to stay home and do nothing. His words capture the feeling so beautifully.

 

Page  18: With not a little effort he was finally able to stand and gingerly inch his way toward the house, humbled by the powers of ice and gravity.

 

Yes, wiping out on the ice can be very humbling . . . and painful. Again, the author captures this experience so effectively with his words.

 

Page 25:  Shortly after the summer that Missy vanished, The Great Sadness had draped itself around Mack's shoulders like some invisible but almost tangibly heavy quilt. . . . At times he could feel The Great Sadness slowly tightening around his chest and heart like the crushing coils of a constrictor, squeezing liquid from his eyes until he thought there no longer remained a reservoir. . . . 

There are several paragraphs that describe Mack's grief (though I'm glad that the author gave it another name). I think a lot of people can identify with that feeling. At this point in the book, we don't really know what has happened to cause his sadness. 

 

Page 46: He knew in his heart that promising things to God was rather dumb and irrational, but he couldn't help it. He was desperate to get Missy back, and surely God knew where she was.

 

Oh, this is so sad. God isn't a genie in a lamp, but sometimes we try to make a deal with him. I'm glad He knows our pain, fear, desperation, and still loves us.

 

Page 54: In one day he had spent a year's worth of emotions, and now he felt numb, adrift in a suddenly meaningless world that felt like it would be forever gray.

 

When one goes through a trauma, it definitely creates a "before" and "after" in life. The day that Mack is describing was one such day.

 

Page 64: At some point in the process, Mack attempted to emerge from his own pain and grief, at least with his family. They had lost a sister and daughter, but it would be wrong for them to lose a father and husband as well.

 

So many people who go through trauma lose their family connections as they deal with their grief. It is hard to work through hard times together. It is hard (but important) to nurture one another while in pain. Mack recognizes that he needs to "hold it together" for Nan and his other kids.

 

Page  64: Nan had made it clear from the start, and repeatedly, that she did not blame Mack in any way for what happened. Understandably, it took Mack much longer to let himself off the hook, even a little bit.

 

We are so often harder on ourselves! It was a huge barrier for me to come to faith . . . letting go of my own guilt, shame, control . . . 

 

Page 65: The tragedy had also increased the rift in Mack's own relationship with God, but he ignored this growing sense of separation.

 

This makes me think of someone I love who had a moment like this which caused a rift in his relationship with God. Heart-breaking.

 

Page  92: "Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship."

 

God, Papa, in female form is having a conversation with Mack. This one line is so very, very true. Pages 92 and 93 have a lot that is focused on Mack's perception of God, his relationship with his own biological dad, etc. I just don't want to record all the things that sparked thoughts for me in reading this.

 

Page 123: "You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship what we intended for you." 

 

Mack is talking with the Trinity (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit - Sarayu) about "who's in charge?" and he struggles with understanding the relationship between the three.

 

Page 123: "When you chose independence over relationship, you became a danger to each other. Others became objects to be manipulated or managed for your own happiness. Authority, as you usually think of it, is merely the excuse the strong use to make others conform to what they want."

 

Sarayu is giving Mack further explanation on how humans are not living the ideal that the Trinity does.

 

Page  126: "Mackenzie, you cannot produce trust just like you cannot 'do' humility. It either is or is not. Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me."

 

Sarayu is continuing to educate Mack. I love her comment about not being able to 'do' humility or produce trust.

 

Page  135: "Then it is you who determines good and evil. You become the judge. And to make things more confusing, that which you determine to be good will change over time and circumstance. And then beyond that even worse, there are billions of you each determining what is good and what is evil. So when your good and evil clashes with your neighbor's, fights and arguments ensue and even wars break out."

 

Sarayu is poking holes in Mack's perspective about moral relativism (though they don't call it that).

 

Page 149:"Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus,' it means for your independence to be killed.

 

This caught my attention because I do think Jesus is an example for us - we are to serve as He served. 

 

Page  170: For the past years it had defined for him what was normal, but now unexpectedly it had vanished. "Normal is a myth," he thought to himself.

 

I've used the phrase "new normal" without really meaning it. I strongly dislike the phrase "paradigm shift," but that's another story. Sometimes I think it's good to remember that "normal" is relative to what one is used to . . . and for Mack, healing and letting go of The Great Sadness is a significant change (and a good one!).

 

Page 178: "What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs."

 

Even though this is the author speaking through the character Jesus, it's quite believable as something Jesus Himself would say about "the church." I think we're often off the mark nowadays . . . (This idea will connect a LOT more in the next book I blog about.)

 

Page  185: "Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies."

 

This is a key concept for many of us - believers and non-believers alike! How can a good and loving God allow innocents to suffer and die (like Missy in this story)? Free will and the existence of evil is a tough one to struggle with. I'm glad God can work good out of awful circumstances, but I often wish He had prevented the circumstance to begin with!

 

Page 187: "Guilt'll never help you find freedom in me. The best it can do is make you try harder to conform to some ethic on the outside. I'm about the inside."

 

Lines like this make me wonder if the author grew up Catholic . . . guilt was a driving force in my early life. Here, God is responding to Mack's comment about feeling guilty.

 

Page  192: "All I am telling you is that reconciliation is a two way street, and I have done my part, totally, completely, finally. It is not the nature of love to force a relationship but it is the nature of love to open the way."

 

It's so important to remember that things like reconciliation take more than just one's own efforts! God has done the work with Jesus on the cross; it's up to us to accept.

 

Page 223: "I don't do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don't produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness, and that is why they were nailed into Jesus on the cross."

 

Again, I'm not sure God would state things quite like this, but for many people this is a really important point.

 

There were other parts I didn't blog here: the scene with Sophia (wisdom) in the cave, the waterfall, Missy's body, Sarayu's garden, the importance of forgiveness, Mack's car accident and coma, telling Nan, talking with his daughter Kate . . . I'm glad I re-read this book. I'm ready to donate it. I'm mostly glad that the overwhelming takeaway for me is that God is love and that He wants a close relationship with His children.