The Shack by William P. Young

I knew I was in trouble when I read the following blurb below the author's name on the front cover.

"This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!" - Eugene Peterson

Could someone have written a 21st century version of the most tedious, unreadable book I'd ever encountered? I wondered.

Like yours, my reading time is valuable. I don't have time for overtly contrived and didactic. I never completed Pilgrim's Progress and THAT was for a grade. I considered returning this book to the store where I, upon recognizing the title as the one I'd been requested to read and review, had scooped it off the shelf without a second glance.

Okay, I thought, just read a couple chapters in order to explain my complaints to the person who made the special request. She's my sister, by the way, and her book recommendations are usually spot on so I never questioned her lack of any descriptive information beyond the title. I think she suspected I wouldn't want it and hoped it would slip under her Jewish sister's radar.

So I read. Did I find the story contrived? Yes. Did I detect didacticism? Oh, yes. Was it as painful to read as Pilgrim's Progress? Thank goodness, no. One can actually finish this book. Indeed, you'll read on hoping for a certain outcome - of which I'll not divulge - and maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't. No spoiler alerts needed here.

Mack Phillips is a sad and devastated man. His youngest child, six year old Missy, had been abducted during a camping trip a few years earlier, a bloodstained item the only evidence found in a remote shack. A note, seemingly from G-d, inviting him to the shack for a weekend appears in his mailbox. He goes and meets the holy trinity. Or does he?

Readers might be attracted to this book for the potential controversy. There are bound to be sides taken. It seems a story for Christians, and yet quite anti-organized-religion. It advocates for a personal relationship with G-d without religion getting in the way - no middleman, so to speak.

I appreciated the unusual characterization of G-d as a woman, a wonderful African-American mother who cooks and bakes - dare I say it - indescribably heavenly dishes. But even that fell apart after further reading. I should have seen it coming since they never stopped referring to her as Papa.

Another point that is bound to draw some boos and hisses appears when Jesus tells Mack that he's not Christian, but Jewish. That will probably rankle some people on both sides of the organized religion question, however, many Christians do accept that fact about Jesus so perhaps not widespread rankling.

My lack of pleasure from this book stems more from its grammar hiccups, and other writing complaints, than from any religious argument. I know some stellar writers, people who can make the print sing from the pages, and yet they remain unpublished. It simply left me a bit on the cold side. On the other hand, my sister felt moved to tears at times during her reading, and considers herself better informed about the trinity.

As previously stated, I stayed to the end in hopes of seeing a desired result. I'm not saying I got what I wanted, but maybe I did.

Now the only remaining question is . . . Who is Eugene Peterson and how could he think Pilgrim's Progress is good?