After his daughter’s murder, a grieving father confronts God with desperate questions — and finds unexpected answers — in this riveting and deeply moving #1 NYT bestseller. When Mackenzie Allen Phillips’s youngest daughter Missy is abducted during a family vacation, he remains hopeful that she’ll return home. But then, he discovers evidence that she may have been brutally murdered in an … she may have been brutally murdered in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.
Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note that’s supposedly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment, he arrives on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.
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Now going to be a move
I loved this book. I have discussed it with several friends since reading it and we have all been moved by it. So real to life, and I’m very excited now that I’ve learned it will be a movie! The book follows a man that has lost his daughter. The story line seems like so many we have heard before. Tragedy. But then….he meets three people that literally change his outlook and his life.
This book gave me a different perspective on my personal relationship with God. It was profoundly moving.
I found this book totally intriguing. It surely gave you unique ways of looking at our world and our faith and our mortality.
The Question: “What’s the strangest book you ever enjoyed?” The Shack! I was given the book as a gift and told to “READ IT!” So I started reading it one day, and did not like it, so I put it aside. My friend called and asked, “Did you read The Shack?” So I had to admit I did not get far…but promised I would read it all. So I did.
The book is not written as a self-help or a religious book. It is written as a story. Much like an older book I read years ago, “On Hinds Feet” or like “Pilgrim’s Progress”, it is more like an allegory.
Yes, the book seems a bit strange. I personally feel that child abductors and child molesters should have their own place in torment…but after I finished reading this book I realized that I had indeed learned a valuable lesson. Every person/soul has an eternal value. No matter what a person has done, good or bad, God wants communion with their inner person or soul. Even God may feel disgusted with a deed a person has done, but he still cares about that soul.
I learned I can not pick and choose who to forgive for wrongs done to me or ‘mine’, but I am to have a measure of forgiveness for all people. I am not the boss of my heart, I want God to be, so that means I can not choose ‘if’ I will forgive someone. So, I enjoyed that I learned a very valuable life Lesson, by reading this ‘strange’ book.
Great read
So heart touching.
Awesome book that makes you think about your own life and how you handle life’s challenges.
I have heard all of the Pros and Cons to this book. Some people even felt it was sacrilegious. I felt it spoke to me. I highlighted many parts of the book. I want to reread knowing I will probably feel a renewal.
I read this book a few years ago and I just began reading it again yesterday to jog my memory because I want to see the movie. I don’t want to spoil the story so I will just say that this book is a little unpredictable, moving and inspirational. God is depicted in a non traditional way and some might not like that (didn’t bother me). I would highly recommend this book and I think that both men and women and teenage girls (not sure that teenage boys would like it) would enjoy reading and even discussing The Shack. I am interested to see if the movie differs from the book.
Very thought provoking story!
I completed this faith-filled book a couple of months ago, but found myself unable to write about it until now; I needed more time to reflect & review the highlights I placed throughout the novel! Re-reading my notes was a lengthy process due to the hundreds of profound insights & teachings I underscored!
I emphatically applaud the way William P Young develops his ‘characters’ … not only his human players, but his clever depiction of each member of the Holy Trinity! This tale tells us that God is readily approachable & has quit the sense of humor; one only needs to be open and willing to accept Him as He is!!
I highly recommend this story for those looking for Grace in ‘dealing with grief, broken dreams, & damaged hearts’.
The theological lessons throughout this read only add to the unequivocal reality of ‘God’s engaging nature’, his unconditional love, his embracing light, and his ability to heal the most scarred areas in us all.
I wholeheartedly agree w/Bear Gryils when he states that ‘The Shack’ is “Faith-Enhancing”! I know that my love, trust, & devotion to Christ has reached a whole new level since completing this book!
Do not go into this story thinking it is an easy read…it is most definitely not! It’s heartbreaking, grisly, confounding, & yet humorous in it’s goal of bringing Our Heavenly Father’s grace and faithfulness to those fortunate enough to read it.
**I must add that I have not watched the movie based on this novel & I’m thankful I haven’t; I don’t believe that the full impact of William P Young’s message could possibly be depicted on film. **
Take a chance, read ‘The Shack’, and try to prove my insights wrong. 😉
It isn’t often that I read a faith based book and like it. Most of them teeter into over-the-top preachy, schmaltzy, holier-than-thou territory. But this book really gets to the heart of what faith is supposed to be about, relationship. There are so many instances in this story that hit home and answered questions about why things happen.
Great book!
Sad, not Christian. Portrays God poorly . I recommend you NOT read this book.
Wonderful story & characters!
Inspiring.
A life-time favorite!
This is a marvelous book. If you haven’t read it yet, start today.
A powerful book that brings happiness and tears. You cannot put it down, surprises from one page to the next. Well worth your time to read this powerful book.