The Shack  - you either love it or hate it; there seems to be no neutral ground.  This book by William Young tells the story of Mackenzie Allen Phillips, whose young daughter is kidnapped and probably murdered in a shack in rural Oregon.  Mackenzie, who feels responsible for his child's death, descends into a deep depression which he refers to as his "Great Sadness."

It is four years after Mack's daughter's abduction that the book takes an unusual twist.  Mack receives an invitation from God to meet Him at the shack for a weekend.  Mack meets God the Father (in the form of an African American woman), God the Son (a very human Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit (an ethereal woman named Sarayu).  In his despair Mack has questioned why God allowed his daughter to be murdered.  He finds some answers in his interactions with the three.

The first time I tried to read this book, it lost me at the encounter between God and Mackenzie.  The writing is amateurish and I cynically picked it apart.  I recently picked it up again and was able to put aside my own prejudice.  I was impressed with Mack's search to become comfortable with his higher power, a more personal God than the God of his youth.  If you're looking for great literature, this isn't for you.  If you're interested in a story about one man's search for the relevance of God in his life, this could be it.

All books reviewed each week in Buffalo Rising by Library staff are, of course, available through the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System.