King's News 33
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A novel about a father struggling to come to terms  with the murder of his daughter has become a surprise bestseller. Kathy Palmer gives her view.

The front cover of my copy of The Shack declares "over one million copies in print". Publisher's hype or is this a particularly popular book? After reading it, and being asked on many occasions whether I have read it, I can answer that this is a book that deserves to be read by as many people as possible.

This is a novel whose storyline doesn't appear to be very appealing. It is a story about a murder of a young six-year-old girl called Missy, and the narrator is her father, Mack. Missy had been abducted on a family camping trip. All the evidence points to her brutal murder in an empty shack in a remote part of Oregon. Three years on, the novel opens with Mack receiving an invitation to visit the shack signed by Papa. This is his wife's special name for God, and despite all his fears and doubts Mack knows he has to make the journey. The bulk of the book centres on what and whom he finds at the shack. Instead of desolation, he finds the shack transformed into a beautiful place where three people are present, namely God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But these do not conform to his stereotype religious view of the Trinity. Instead they are fun to be with, and they wholeheartedly accept and love him. Conversation and special times with each of them allow Mack to be healed from all his suffering. He is given a glimpse of his very happy daughter, but more importantly, he understands that the gulf that had always existed between him and God has gone. He is able to release his daughter into God's care and begin the process of forgiving her killer.

If all this sounds heavy and very religious, it is not. The novel gives invaluable insight into how the three persons of the trinity are together, and their compassion for their creation. Difficult subjects such as suffering are discussed. Most of all, I was left with a sense that all too often, I have not understood the joy of being loved by the three personalities of God. Yes, it is a novel, but I'm pretty sure that the peace, joy and love that Mack experiences reflect the God that longs to be part of our lives.

'The Shack' (by William Paul Young)  is available from the Christian bookstall in Tavistock Pannier Market on Wednesdays (and Thursdays between Easter & Christmas), or phone 01566 772047 for more information.
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