Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? How can a nice and respectful God allow such heinous crimes to happen by humans? And why doesn’t he do anything to stop all of this? These are the questions that we all find ourselves asking every now and then. William Paul Young answers these questions from a different perspective in his controversial novel “The Shack.” I can’t honestly say that I liked or disliked this book. There are many aspects that I like and dislike; however, if you’re not an open- minded person than this book is not meant for you.

Most people will skim the back cover of this book and find it interesting to read because they assume that it’s just about a little girl getting murdered. I was one of those people. I soon found out that out of the eighteen chapters in this book only a measly five were about the kidnapping. However, I do have to applaud Young on setting the plot of the kidnapping of Missy, the daughter of the main character Mackenzie Allen Philips. He immediately grasped my attention in the first couple chapters. Young painted a picture in my mind about the killer when he wrote,” The image of his daughter fighting off some perverted monster was like a fist to the stomach. Almost succumbing to the sudden blackness that threatened to smother him, Mack leaned on the table to keep from passing out or throwing up.” (Young 51).

With that being said, I have to admit that the rest of the book seemed like a challenge to keep up with and stay interested in. I’m an open-minded spiritual person and even I found some of the things Young wrote a little off. In one part of the book Young wrote, “Mack struggled to ask, “Which one of you is God?” “I am,” said all three in unison.” (Young 80). This just proves that if you have strong beliefs reading this book can be a little frustrating.

Can I honestly recommend this book? Yes, if you are willing to read a rather religious novel with an open-mind. However, if you have a strong belief in your religion or if you’re like me and are spiritual and find these kinds of things a little unreal then you should stay away from this book.