A decent story and not nearly the same kind of "religious" I thought it might be. ( )

Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain ???

First line:
~ Who wouldn’t be skeptical when a man claims to have spent an entire weekend with God, in a shack no less? And this was the shack~

Love the idea of the story but actually found it a really slow read. I even found the movie to be slow. In this instance, the book gave more details on what was actually going on in the minds of the characters, which was nice. Although slow, it does give you a lot to think about in how God communicates with us, each on our own level. ( )

Why is The Shack so popular? Answering that question is the reason I picked up and read this book. Short answer: Probably because it's so easy to read and seems to offer spiritual insight. But for me it was a mixed bag on both fronts, ultimately leaving me underwhelmed.

The Shack is the story of a father's tragic loss of a daughter and his inability to come to grips with it on his own. Years later, a note signed by 'Papa' invites him back to a weekend getaway at a shack related to his daughter's disappearance. Is this God, inviting him to a reconciliation? Or something more sinister?

One thing I obviously must address is the author's depiction of God. It did not offend my sensibilities enough to not finish the book. I think I understand the motives behind the approach and its appeal for many readers. Much of it did work. The personifications of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and even God's wisdom were serviceable. On the other hand, it is woefully incomplete. 'Papa' was a little too trite and obviously, to me, scaled down from the fullness of the Biblical God in order to fit the confines and purposes of the story. It's sad that most people won't be able to think critically enough about it to move beyond it to a fuller understanding of God in all his holiness, grace, love, and power.

The storytelling in The Shack didn't do much for me, either. Most of it is pedestrian. There's barely enough tension to make you keep turning pages. The writer telegraphs or outright tells you what is going to happen pages before it happens. There is little nuance, subtext, or suspense. Occasionally, there are delights and surprises, but because the author is trying to put so much message into so few words, the good moments fly by.

That is really the undoing, and oddly, the appeal, of this book. It's really a collection of too many sermon anecdotes and illustrations strung together by a sparse story and a bunch of dialog. The reader is pushed from thought to thought, vignette to vignette, as quickly as the words on the page will allow. Of course, one or two of these are going to resonate and make it seem like the book really has something to say. A couple of them resonated with me, providing a few brief moments of introspection before I was dragged into the next illustration.

Does a two-star rating mean this is a bad book? No. It just means that it is missing much that would make it good and worth recommending. Do you want a book that will challenge how you think about God and the Christian life? Read [b:The Screwtape Letters|11149|The Screwtape Letters (Paperback)|C.S. Lewis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166457934s/11149.jpg|2920952] by [a:C.S. Lewis|1069006|C.S. Lewis|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1211981595p2/1069006.jpg]. It will mess with your head. Want a book that helps you understand our fallen world and nature? Try [b:The Problem of Pain|26435|The Problem of Pain|C.S. Lewis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167807472s/26435.jpg|2976220] also by Lewis. A better understanding of love? [b:The Four Loves|30633|The Four Loves|C.S. Lewis|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WMAJADS5L._SL75_.jpg|1260054]. How about a story that touches on any of these? Again, Clive Staples Lewis [b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Books 1-7)|C.S. Lewis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166457868s/11127.jpg|781271]. ( )