The Shack is a novel written by an Oregon businessman named William P. Young. This novel answers the age-old question: “Where is God in a world that suffers so much?” It is a story that revolves around Mackenzie Philips (Mack), father of five children. Four years before the story begins, Mack's youngest daughter, Missy, was kidnapped during a family vacation. Missy's body was never found, but police found evidence in an old abandoned cabin that led investigators to believe she had been brutally killed by a serial killer called "Little Ladykiller." When the novel begins, Mack, whose life has been consumed by what he calls "the great sadness" and receives a written note from Dad (who is later revealed to be God). In the letter, Dad invites Mack to return to the old abandoned cabin to spend time together. Mack isn't sure what to make of the note, but he pushes aside his insecurities and embarks on a weekend where he encounters many supernatural trials. Mack is subject to the appearances of the three persons of the trinity in human form. Papa (God), whose name is Elousia, appears in the form of a well-depicted African-American woman. Jesus is a middle-aged man of Middle Eastern descent and the Holy Spirit calls Sarayu a small, subtle and diverse woman of Asian descent. Mack also meets for a time with Sophia, who is the personification of God's wisdom. The reader learns that Mack was given this opportunity to meet God so that he could learn to deal with his great sadness, overwhelming pain and anger resulting from the death of his daughter. There is very little action in The Shack and most of the book is dialogue. The majority of dialogue occurs when members of the Trinity communicate with...... middle of paper ...... novel, "deeply subversive", "scripturally incorrect", and "dangerous". While Minister Steve McVey says, “A person discovers grace when he comes to the end of his own self-sufficiency and realizes that he has been made acceptable by Jesus Christ and him alone. You can't score points with God. 'murder. This novel takes the historical message of Scripture into entirely new territories by providing insight into difficult theological concepts and questions, such as "How can we know God?" and “What did Christ accomplish?” Although heavily debated, the author does an outstanding job of presenting his personal views in a way that everyone, regardless of race or religion, can relate to..