The Shack written by William P Young was the choice for October's Bloggy Book Club. On October 22, 2008 Abunga.com did an online chat with the author here that I found interesting. William Paul Young has a blog you may want to read as well.
The book cover states...
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone to read this book!"
I do feel this way...that I want everyone to read this book. I enjoyed this book! I do think the story line while tragic was simple in it's telling and others may discount The Shack because of that. But for me, because of my comfort in reading the bible and listening to Parables as a Christian..I immediately saw a story within a story. According to the author in the online interview this is true...but not real. It is fiction but true...like a parable.
The author wrote this story as a way of expressing his faith to his family of about 15 members but mostly for his children.
The themes of forgiveness, God's love, The Trinity, and God's judgment are all explored...This book for me, more so than any I have read in a long time is meant to be discussed.
I want/need comments...
Do you think you have to be Christian to enjoy or understand this book?
Do you like or dislike how the Trinity is portrayed in the book?
Does the book portray a realistic viewpoint of Mack's struggle with forgiveness?
How do you view heaven in comparison with the author's book portrayal?
Have you had a period of Great Sadness?
The most meaningful part of this book for me was the portrayal of the Trinity...I have felt God's presence differently at times in my life and because of that...I was not uncomfortable with the personification of The Trinity. How did you feel about that?
I recommend this book.
8 comments:
Thank you Ronda for opening this avenue to share thoughts about this book. I finished the book this evening and will be mulling over my thoughts until tomorrow. I'll probably post at my site tomorrow afternoon. Your questions will be a good place for me to start. Thank you for providing a format with which to discuss this book!!! I look forward to reading other's comments!
My post is up!
Hey Ronda! I'm all done. It is the second post down! You know, those SITS gals are giving away a vacuum and I need to make sure they see my post!! lol
Ronda,
I am still reading the book! I had a hard time with it in the beginning, following it that is. My close friend read the book and insisted I read it because it's so good.
I will finish it, only the time I have to sit down and read is when I go to bed and unfortunately I fall asleep!! I really wanted to participate in this discussion...darn.
I bought a book at Target- I gave up on the library and the used book store. Now all I need to do is read it!
The plot sounds very intriguing! Thank you for the recommendation--I will check it out!!
Great! Thanks Miss Ronda, now I have another thing on my list to do!!
I'm a bad Bloggy Book Club member - I didn't read this book! I was #212 on the waiting list at the library & still haven't gotten the book. But honestly, I don't know if I could have read it. After reading the plot, I was honestly dreading reading it. I so appreciate the recommendation, but I just couldn't read it. The next book sounds great!
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