William P. Young’s The Shack has had such a profound impact on me, and I knew immediately that this was a book I had to give a review on. It’s a powerful exploration of grief, faith, forgiveness, and healing. It tells the story of a middle-aged man named Mackenzie Phillips, referred to as “Mack” throughout the story. He’s a man who is devastated by the sudden abduction and presumed murder of his youngest daughter, Missy. Years after the tragedy, grief, sorrow, and anguish still alive deep in his heart , Mack receives a mysterious letter inviting him back to the abandoned shack. This was where his daughter’s bloodstained dress was found hours after she was kidnapped. Against his better judgment, he returns—and what unfolds is a deeply spiritual and emotional journey that challenges everything he believes about God, justice, and love. An encounter that truly blurs the lines between the physical and the divine.
In my opinion, the most compelling element of The Shack is the way the Holy Trinity is imagined. God appears to Mack as a nurturing African American woman who is referred to as Papa, Jesus as a Middle Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit as an ethereal Asian woman named Sarayu. This unconventional portrayal at first felt jarring . . . but then felt, well, freeing. It’s meant to shatter stereotypes and expand readers’ understanding of divinity beyond traditional religious frameworks. Through conversation and personal reflection between Mack and the holy trinity, he confronts his pain and the limitations of human judgment. Mack eventually comes to a place of tentative peace and acceptance. And just like what Papa does to make, the book does to its reader, gently challenging traditional religious ideas and replaces them with something more compassionate and relational.
Young uses several literary devices to enhance the story. Symbolism is heavily used throughout this book, especially the shack itself, which represents the darkest place of Mack’s soul. He wrestles with anger, confusion, and doubt, which mirrored questions I’ve asked myself during some of my most difficult times. Why do bad things happen to good people? Where is God when it hurts the most? But I was reminded that faith isn’t about having everything figured out, and I’ve been asking the wrong questions all along. Faith is about trusting that through all the pain healing is possible and often happens outside the boundaries of logic and certainty.
What I found especially meaningful about this book is how it approaches the question we have all asked at one point in our lives. “Where is God in our suffering?” And rather than offering neat answers, the author William P. Young invites readers to sit with difficult emotions and explore the complexity of grace. I never expected to feel such a personal shift from any novel, ever. But this book has opened my heart in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Some critics may argue that the novel’s theology is too unorthodox or sentimental, but I think that’s part of what makes it resonate with all the people who’ve come across this book. It speaks to those who are wrestling with loss, faith, and forgiveness in a way that feels personal and real. The writing is simple but the feelings and raw emotions that it stirs are anything but. The Shack is worth your time. It’s not preachy, it’s distinctive. I would recommend this book 1000 times over to anyone. But particularly to students who are looking for a story that offers hope, healing, and a deeper understanding of what faith and love really is.
Get the book! Check out The Shack by William P. Young at BMCC’s library, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, or the Queens Public Library.
About the author This review is by Christina Cynthia. Christina is just a girl trying to find her way in the world.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
