Book Review: The Shack by William P. Young
The Shack by William P. Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Writing a review of this book is difficult. I could review it as a bad novel, which it is, but that would be an overly simplistic assessment that I think misses the point of the book. I could also review it as an intriguing exploration of God and the role of Humanity in the world, which also it is. At its heart, I believe this is a theological treatise that challenges dominant perceptions of God, especially perceptions held by Christians. It attempts to explore the true identity of God and God’s role in the world. Frankly, this exploration is the most interesting part of the book. The story takes a significant backseat to the theology in my opinion.
I’m still deciding how I feel about the theology. On the whole, I think it challenges a lot of popular notions of what God is and what God wants, and even if the reader disagrees with the specifics of the theology, it undoubtedly causes the reader to rethink his or her assumptions about God in a positive way. In this regard, it’s a good book for the practicing Christian and searching person, looking for some way to understand God in a deeper, more holistic way.
The novelization of the premise, however, is very weak. The story is shallow and predictable. The characters are very one-dimensional, and any amount of literary criticism would completely rip this book to shreds. With that in mind, I would encourage any reader wanting to explore the theology and philosophy contained within the book to begin with Chapter 5, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. This skips the bulk of exposition and bad fiction writing that will frustrate a lot of readers. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone who does so will miss anything pertinent that can’t be figured out later in the book.
I think both religious and secular readers can appreciate this book. If anything, I think religious readers may have the greater problem with the book because it directly challenges a lot of the sacred theology that Christians hold on to. I hope that people who may be tempted to reject the book on these grounds, however, might see it as an important opportunity to think deeper and fuller about their personal theologies, even if they disagree with points here and there. I appreciate that it did so for me.
