
When he arrives, Mack experiences a miraculous, life-altering meeting with the Creator of the Universe which goes far beyond his wildest imaginings, leaving him forever changed. Mack isn't sure if God is really trying to contact him, but he knows that he must go. It is merely signed Papa, which coincidentally is his wife's favorite name for God.
One day, Mack receives an anonymous note in his mailbox asking him to return to the shack where his daughter was killed. Because of things that happened in his childhood, Mack has always had a difficult relationship with God, and now he cannot fathom how a loving Creator could allow something so terrible to happen to his little girl. For the next few years to come, The Great Sadness descends upon him as he struggles to make sense out of a senseless act. While on a camping trip with his kids, Mackenzie Allen Phillips' six-year-old daughter is abducted and murdered by a serial killer.
Evernight Teen Summer Kick-off Blog Hop. Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin Launch. Next Section The Shack Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format Cohen, Madeline. A film adaptation of The Shack was released in 2017, which has been popular with audiences but poorly-received by critics. The Shack has been published in foreign languages including Spanish, German, Croatian, and Polish. Others have supported Young's depictions of God and religion and even written companion pieces concerning how to use The Shack in religious and therapeutic settings. Some called the book heretical due to its representations of the Trinity, its criticism of the church, and its "silly" tone ("Stay Out of The Shack"). The book generated a mixed reception from Christian leaders and media figures. The book shot to number one on the New York Times paperback fiction best seller list in June of 2008 and kept the spot until early 2010. The book was not immediately successful, but it became suddenly popular in 2008. Young sent the book to over twenty publishers, but was rejected by all of them, so Young, Wayne Jacobsen, Brad Cummings, and Bobby Downes formed a publishing company called Windblown Media and used it to publish the book. After reading it, a few of Young's friends encouraged him to publish it. Young originally wrote The Shack for his family and close friends to show them his religious beliefs and struggles.
While the foreword and afterword of the book make it seem as if Young is recording a story told to him by a close friend, Young has called the story "a parable laden with metaphor. The novel tells the story of Mack, a man whose daughter has been abducted by a serial killer, meeting God face to face and spending a weekend in a shack in the woods exploring grief and religion. The Shackis a work of Christian fiction published by William Paul Young in 2007.