I freely admit that Christian novellas are not usually my thing, so even though ‘The Shack’ was a book that was recommended to me, I have to say that at first it was simply added to my ‘list of books to read’ for another day.

But then summer arrived and the opportunity came for me to sit back and read, and read I did, with relish. I am delighted to say that this book is not the stuff of relegation to the back of the shelf (although the quote on the front that says it will have the impact of Pilgrim’s Progress may be stretching it slightly); it is a poignant exploration of what it means to worship the Triune God from the place of your deepest hurt.

The basic plot line is one which resonates with many of us as our worst nightmare. The main character, Mack, takes his three youngest children on a camping trip and, due to a catalogue of events, the very youngest, Missy, is abducted. As they search for Missy, they eventually discover evidence of her murder; along a narrow rough track at the end of which is a shack.

The story begins three years on from this terrible event and Mack is invited, by God, back to the shack. After some soul searching, Mack decides to accept the invitation, not sure of what he will meet when he gets there.

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In this story, Young takes the somehow brave step of mixing the very tragically real event and aftermath of a child’s abduction, with the apparently less tangible experience of meeting with the living God. Young makes no apologies for this in his literary style, he freely moves from the reality of Mack’s world to the reality of God’s world as, after Mack arrives at the shack which is the focus of this encounter, he finds it transformed from a ramshackle, forgotten and rotten place to one of wholeness, warmth and beauty. And it is there that he meets Papa, Jesus and Sarayu.

This is where the real meat of the book is: encounter with God. Where many fiction authors have feared to tread, Young has plunged in headfirst. Mack is invited into the life of the Three, literally to eat, sleep and be with them. Whilst he is living with them in the transformed shack, he engages with all of them, both separately and together. And he finds himself dealing with the hurt of losing his daughter, and with the thorny issues of guilt, anger, hatred and forgiveness.

It is this journey towards forgiveness that I have to admit caught my attention most. Most of us would baulk at attempting a theodicy on such a subject matter, and yet Young seems to navigate the rapids that inevitably confront him. In particular I found the following quote perceptive:

"Mackenzie," Papa was strong and firm. "I already told you that forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established."

I felt that Young deals very well with this dynamic of forgiveness and reconciliation.

This is not to say that the story is without the inevitable questions, we are after all talking about a novel that deals with such inexpressible stuff as the Doctrine of the Trinity. However, in the end these are peripheral and most of the questions that are provoked are really questions that I encourage you to discover for yourself.

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