The Shack - My Review

[ACBaltimore]

Synopsis:

Mackenzie Allen Philips’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.

My Thoughts:

The Shack was a journey of spirituality and human nature that I will not soon forget. This book was written with such style and insight, it had to be a divine labor of love for the author. Few times will you hear me say a book has changed my life, but this one actually did.

The tailored visual descriptions in this book is nothing short of amazing… you smelled, heard, felt and tasted the descriptions. The characters are so vivid and real, you quickly develop an impression and attachment to them.

The Shack’s storyline is fictitious; however, the sub-text is very real. A unique message of faith, forgiveness and relationship with God shines through every part of this fantastic journey. You will question and answer many of life’s mysteries as you progress throughout this novel.

I love that the Author dared to step outside the chains of man made religion to write such an original, thought provoking and special story. The religious organized Church will in large be offended by this book. The open minded seeker will find answers and new revelation. Sinner or saint, this is a book we can all find a powerful message in.

[Little Hero]

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, after reading your review I think I'll definitely give it a shot

[karen^b]

Although I enjoyed the book and its message, I had a hard time w/the author's concept of the Trilogy; for me it took the book down a notch.

[novelwhore]

I actually enjoyed the authors view of the trilogy as I've always struggled with the concept of "power" and how it relates to true belief and doing what is best for people. This book definitely changed my life as well, hitting some of the biggest struggles I've had with faith and even simple things like helping my best friend with her marriage struggles. This is the first book I've highlighted in a long time with an ACTUAL highlighter! There were just so many lines that struck me as "truth" that I need to focus on more in my life.

[Farrah J Phoenix]

I agree with novelwhore!

I've gone to church my entire life and always struggled with the whole vision of the Trinity. I loved how relatable The Shack made it. In my opinion, God did not want us to to feel as though he was a divinity so extreme that it would make Him unapproachable. The way The Shack described the Trinity as loving, approachable, genuine and yet wise brought the concept of the Trinity to a place I believe it was meant to be.

I was truly touched by this book.

Through the horrors of life it is hard to have faith in God. The visuals provided through the incredible words of The Shack made the horrors easier to take.

In my opinion anyway.

Thank you for starting this tread!

Farrah

[annalaurabrown]

I really enjoyed this book as well. Although I can understand why some people might not. It is a bit depressing in some places but overall a good read.

[AdamWest]

Awesome review

[best4buys]

The Shack has two major themes i.e. forgiveness and what it means to have a relationship with Christ. What most people don't understand is that "forgiveness" doesn't mean when you forgive someone that it makes everything okay and now you have to be that person's friend. It means you forgive that someone, personally move past that "mental block" in your life that has hendered you in some way, and move on with your life; a lot of times the "block" keeps you rooted in place instead of moving forward and growing in life.

I love the fact this book expresses that having a relationship with Christ doesn't mean you have to be "religious"; Christ doesn't care about religion. This book also expresses an interesting concept that I've never heard of or thought about before; there is a difference between independence and freedom.

[novelwhore]

I loved the idea that Jesus doesn't care about religion as well, and the statement that almost all problems are created by the three "institutions" of religion, politics, and economics. If everyone really did what was best for others, we wouldn't need all of the institutions and rules/laws we've created.

a lot of times the "block" keeps you rooted in place instead of moving forward and growing in life.

This also struck me. I recommended the book to someone that was molested as a child and she was vehemently against it stating that she should never have to forgive her father for molesting her. Her identity is completely stuck on that event and she will never be able to move forward because she would lose who she is if she forgave him. A sad fact especially since he is dead now and she is still in so much pain. But as long as she can pin all of her failures on her father and that event, she doesn't have to face moving on and becoming her own person.