Jun

23

‘The shack’ review

June 23, 2008 |

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Books 

Warning: Spoilers abound.

Synopsis…
The main character, Mack, emerges from the first few pages as a deeply wounded individual struggling with life after the abuses of his father and the loss of his daughter at a camping trip. The middle aged man with loving wife and kids is one day shocked to find an anonymous letter in his mail box, asking him to come to ‘the shack’ for the weekend. The same shack he lost his daughter to a serial killer, finding her bloody dress there a few days after her abduction. What ensues is an ethereal meeting with God Himself (the Trinity to be exact), who wants to help Mack deal with his emotional struggles that are affecting his relationship with God.

Literarily speaking…
The book for me did not have the emotional impact that many have claimed it to have. I found a lot of it overly emotive, especially from Mack who seemed to be crying every other page. This didn’t help me think of the characters as being very believable. The setting itself also didn’t help, as the shack transformed from a run-down shanty to an ethereal cottage, and the Trinity took Mack on Alice in Wonderland adventures. In the end I felt as though the whole narrative and plot was simply a vehicle to get to the ‘meaty’ bits of the story where God would pronounce monumental statements and Mack would have epiphanies. Some of them good, others either completely odd or glaringly obvious after glancing at the bible for any length of time. In the end, though, I did get a sense that this book may have a huge appeal to certain readers, even if that reader isn’t myself. It’s use of plot as a vehicle to have God speak to and heal situations that a lot of readers face may well pay off and help a lot of people.

Theologically speaking…
The theology of ‘The shack’ is not my main concern, sorry. It just doesn’t strike me as a book that wants to teach people how to think properly about the nature of God or deal with biblical passages. The books main concern is to try and help people overcome emotional struggles they have in relating to God and problems people face when dealing with the death of loved ones and abusive parents. I don’t want to overlook the theology of ‘The shack’ though, as I certainly don’t commend it for it’s theological soundness. The main concern I have is its indirect claim to authority as it puts words in the mouth of God that I certainly don’t believe God would say. The author obviously would deny putting words in the mouth of God as the book is fiction. But to the uneducated lay person who wouldn’t be prepared to think critically about some of the positions put forward, it may lead some to uncritically accept everything it says. Especially because God seems to be saying it.

Recommend to…
I would recommend this book to anyone suffering the loss of a loved one, who has had bad experience with a parent or finds it hard to relate to God on any intimate level. These and many other issues are covered in the book and may help readers get a glimpse into how God wants to help and heal us.

Stay away…
If you’re looking for a deep theological tome this is not the book for you. You may be angry every few pages with it’s lack of systematized theology and bad/non-existent arguments for certain positions promoted by the book.


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Robin Sampson on June 23, 2008 6:56 pm

    I enjoyed the book and wrote a lenghty review on my blog. I have a hard time understanding the full blown attacks.

    Thanks for the review.

  2. ray stone on August 10, 2008 11:02 pm

    I browsed the pages of The Shack and ended up reading about three and a half chapters, plus the ending. Voom! Powerful. Despite some awkward sentencing and obivous theological loopholes, the book is creatively absorbing. Clearly is does not line up one hundred percent with scripture (no book does), but this is why it is FICTION. Does it dishonors God? I think not. Is is leaven and heresy? That is debatable. It simply is what it is. Let the reader beware. An equally intriguing and controversial work is A Step Into Deliverance by T. Pugh. It is a riveting autobiography about a pastor’s amazing journey down the road to the deliverance ministry. It’s a real page-turner

  3. noreen im on October 4, 2008 4:19 pm

    As one going through my mid-life crisis, a mother of a 7 year old daughter, having been abused as a child and a Christian since the age of 5, I loved this book. It was “healing” in it’s message and left a lasting - loving impression. This book brings God to a “drastic” level to reach and draw that man back into a relationship (God is love however, once in GOD he will lead the WAY, lead us into TRUTH and lead us into the LIFE He desires for us - but there is a starting point and this is where I believe the book is at. It makes God attractive and interesting to many who only see God “the old mean GOD” who strikes us w/ lightening bolts. A great book for meaningful “Burean” discussion.

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