The Shack
William P. Young's "The Shack" has created quite a stir. It's been a fairly popular read, at least in the Christian fiction genre. I hardly read any Christian fiction, so I'm probably not the best judge of this book, but I thought I would drop a quick post on it since this one has gotten so much attention. In fact, I didn't especially want to take the time to read this book, but I do like to stay up on culture and this story has had a big influence on a lot of Christians this year.
I was even more reluctant to read it, because of the praise it received from David Gregory, author of "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger." Gregory's book's only saving grace was that it was really short. Still, "The Shack" had endorsements from the likes of Eugene Peterson as well, so I thought it might have some value.
The first 70 pages of the story set up the tragic context for the main character's (Mack) faith crisis and subsequent encounter with God. There were a couple times during that section of the story that I just wanted to put the book down and be done with it. The gut wrenching story evokes tough questions from any God-believing parent.
The remainder of the book describes a supernatural encounter with God that allows Mack to question God and experience His love in a new light. He converses and eats with the three characters of the triune God and even the Wisdom Of God personified. Through his weekend with God, he eventually finds peace and closure from the tragedy in his life.
The book definitely has some bright spots and some parts that border on cheesy. There are some pictures of unity among God, Jesus, and the Spirit, that rely on the author's creativity to give the reader a new insight into God's perfect trinitarian being. Then there are some conversations that seem more like "bumper sticker" Christianity slogans. I really appreciated and related to the imagery of the Spirit's constant gardening work as she tills our souls to prepare us for our unique purposes and circumstances. But I didn't really like some of the explicit and simple explanations God (Papa) offered for His love of his children. It just seemed a bit too obvious in some situations.
I think I prefer stories about Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity, than this narrative about Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu. To me, Aslan's rescue of Narnia seems to tell deeper truths than does Papa's constantly restated desire for reconciliation with the world. In the end, I think The Shack relies too much on transparent dialogue to tell Mack's story. The direct and overstated conversations seem to not leave room for any mystery of God.
I recognize that this is a moving story and has affected lots of people - so take my review with a grain of salt. For me, I just prefer stories that require the reader to do a bit more imagining. This narrative seemed too straightforward and controlled to leave the reader any space to do much wrestling on their own.
I was even more reluctant to read it, because of the praise it received from David Gregory, author of "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger." Gregory's book's only saving grace was that it was really short. Still, "The Shack" had endorsements from the likes of Eugene Peterson as well, so I thought it might have some value.
The first 70 pages of the story set up the tragic context for the main character's (Mack) faith crisis and subsequent encounter with God. There were a couple times during that section of the story that I just wanted to put the book down and be done with it. The gut wrenching story evokes tough questions from any God-believing parent.
The remainder of the book describes a supernatural encounter with God that allows Mack to question God and experience His love in a new light. He converses and eats with the three characters of the triune God and even the Wisdom Of God personified. Through his weekend with God, he eventually finds peace and closure from the tragedy in his life.
The book definitely has some bright spots and some parts that border on cheesy. There are some pictures of unity among God, Jesus, and the Spirit, that rely on the author's creativity to give the reader a new insight into God's perfect trinitarian being. Then there are some conversations that seem more like "bumper sticker" Christianity slogans. I really appreciated and related to the imagery of the Spirit's constant gardening work as she tills our souls to prepare us for our unique purposes and circumstances. But I didn't really like some of the explicit and simple explanations God (Papa) offered for His love of his children. It just seemed a bit too obvious in some situations.
I think I prefer stories about Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity, than this narrative about Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu. To me, Aslan's rescue of Narnia seems to tell deeper truths than does Papa's constantly restated desire for reconciliation with the world. In the end, I think The Shack relies too much on transparent dialogue to tell Mack's story. The direct and overstated conversations seem to not leave room for any mystery of God.
I recognize that this is a moving story and has affected lots of people - so take my review with a grain of salt. For me, I just prefer stories that require the reader to do a bit more imagining. This narrative seemed too straightforward and controlled to leave the reader any space to do much wrestling on their own.
Labels: book review, the shack
posted by Eric Livingston at
6/23/2008
2 Comments:
Eric, I loved The Shack BECAUSE it didn't leave a lot to the imagination. For some reason, for me, having a concrete answer would be a little more reassuring (I blame law school for this). And William Young's interpretation of the Trinity was actually how I imagined it in my mind. Anyway, I'm glad this post got me curious enough to read it.
Jennifer,
Glad you read it and enjoyed it. One thing I did really like about the book was the way the Trinity interacted within itself. That kind of picture of unity is pretty powerful.
EL
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