BookOpinion

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: “God is a Verb” – Buckminster Fuller.

“Raw” is the first instinctive definition that appeals to me when I try to characterize my feelings about “The Shack” by William P. Young. And not just raw in the traditional sense…raw emotions, raw pain, etc. But ruthlessly honest, words honed to a fine point somewhere beyond what one is capable of reasoning.

This intriguing story opens with a camping trip involving Mack, his son Josh, daughter Kate and the beautiful little six year old, Missy. But when Mack momentarily turns his back on Missy to rescue his son from drowning in an overturned canoe, Missy is silently abducted and, being unfound by a massive search, finally assumed brutally murdered by a serial killer. This tragedy throws Mack into a downward spiral of what he refers to as “The Great Sadness” and his constant companion, “if only, if only.” Eventually, the family begins, in some measure, to cope with the situation and appears to move forward. Nan, Mack’s wife, whose relationship with God is her constant source of comfort, actually even refers to Him lovingly as “Papa.” But Mack is different. His relationship with God is broken and bitter and he functions merely because it is a necessity to do so. And then, suddenly, everything changes.

Mack receives a note….from Papa, instructing Mack to meet Him at the shack where Missy had been murdered. And now, reason flees from Mack. God wrote a note? Was this someone’s idea of a really horrible, sadistic joke? Since when does God write letters? And without realizing it, Mack has made a decision…he will go. He doesn’t wish to disclose to Nan what has occurred and, fortuitously, she decides to take Josh and Kate to visit her sister and extend spring break by a week.

As soon as Nan and the children have left, Mack begins making plans for the trip. He then packs up a four wheel drive Jeep and heads out for northeastern Oregon, the last place on earth he wishes to revisit. But when he arrives, he doesn’t find exactly what he expects. As he begins the climb to the cabin, winter begins to disappear. Instead of ice and snow and leaden skies, there are summer wildflowers blossoming everywhere. And the shack has now become a beautiful little log cabin, surrounded by pungent herbs and fragrant flowers. Mack now suspects he is having a psychotic break.

The front door opens and Mack is confronted by a large, African-American woman who immediately lifts him off his feet, spins him around and professes her delight in seeing him. Within seconds, Mack meets a fragile looking, Asian woman and a middle eastern man dressed like a laborer. Who are these people? They obviously expected to see Mack, they know him, seemingly quite well, but he is a bit overwhelmed and questions are gathering in his mind.

When the large black woman introduces herself as “Elousia” Mack is bewildered. Then she tells Mack to just call her what Nan does. This is “Papa?” And the laborer? He tells Mack to call Him Jesus if he likes or even Yeshua. And the Asian woman indentifies herself as Sarayu, keeper of the gardens. When Mack is finally able to ask “Which one of you is God”, all three respond in unison, “I am”.

What follows must surely be pure fantasy. Or is it? Is Mack having a complete breakdown? Or could this be true that God is responding to the pain in Mack’s heart? And how is Mack going to be healed if this is truth? What will this journey cost him? And what will be the gain?

“The Shack” is well written, evenly paced and frankly, shocking. The characters are well drawn, the humor is fantastic and the story breaks your heart. I think William P. Young stepped outside of himself when he wrote this book and wanted to see God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, whatever you want to call it, in a new light. He definitely succeeded. It’s not quite like any other book I’ve ever read…at times I would think, “Aha, C.S. Lewis” and then turn the page and retract that conviction.

I think everyone who reads “The Shack” will come away with something unique for themselves alone, something very personal. If you choose to read it, please don’t skip. Every word is alive with meaning, every expression, enlightening. Do I recommend it? Absolutely!

– Elizabeth Channery