Hi! Welcome to the 2nd installment of my 2021 Book Review Series where I will be reviewing the books I have read in 2021. You can check out the first book that I reviewed in the link below:
In this post, I will be sharing with you a novel that my girlfriend recommended for me to read. For the past months, I have been reading mostly non-fiction books and it took a bit of adjustment going back to reading a fiction novel.
The Shack is a Christian drama by William P. Young. It was released in 2007. After 10 years, it was adapted into a movie. I haven't seen the movie, so this review will just be about the book.
I was apprehensive about my expectations of the book because I haven't heard of it before. Second, stories about encounters with God, for me, are a delicate subject. And third, it was a book recommendation and that means being prepared to have a stand about my views of the book.
Let me now share with you how my reading experience was without spoiling the major parts of the book.
MY READING EXPERIENCE
I was confused about the first few chapters of the book. It started out as a regular novel. And then, it went into this suspense crime thriller story. I actually became invested in the investigation and the police work. As I continued to read, it became apparent that the tragic start was used to build up the gravity of the story.
The book then changed its pace and the story altogether transformed after the main character goes into The Shack. I can compare it to an "Alice in Wonderland" moment. But unlike Alice's descent into the crazy world of Wonderland, the protagonist of The Shack dived into a deep encounter with God.
I remained open-minded when I read through the chapters where God was interpreted. Of course, I had to remind myself that I was reading a novel and not the Bible. The scenes in the book where each personification of the Holy Trinity was brought to life, I think, were handled carefully. I enjoyed how the author portrayed God with unique and human traits.
Ultimately, I think the book is about forgiveness and letting go of the hurt from your past. It touches on some sensitive topics about faith and religion but if you only focus on the forgiveness part of the story, I'd say it's beautifully executed.
I am reminded of powerful stories where people deliberately go and forgive those who've done horrible things to them and to their loved ones.
BOOK HIGHLIGHTS
I read the physical book but I was not able to highlight certain parts of it because it wasn't mine. I mostly read ebooks now because of the convenience. Despite this, I was able to remember and take note of meaningful and memorable highlights in the book. The first one is the quote below:
"Love is not the limitation; love is the flying."
To provide a bit of context, in one of the many conversations between the main character, Mack, and God the Father (played by a black woman, I know, crazy right?), God told Mack why she made humans. God said that humans were created to be loved. She added that living your life as if you were unloved is like clipping the wings of a bird; and just like a grounded bird, you limit your life by choosing to be unloved.
For me, this means that we should not define ourselves and our lives based on all the bad things that have happened to us. We were born to enjoy life and not to live in constant suffering. But this brings me to another highlight in the book:
Does God cause suffering?
The book handles this question delicately. Of course, God does not cause suffering. But God uses suffering to accomplish His purpose for us. Using suffering and causing it are two different things.
Personally, whether you believe in God or not, the best way to look at suffering is to find meaning and purpose in them. Yes, you can try to blame a higher entity or even a human being for the suffering you're going through, but ultimately, how you fare through the experience will depend on whether you can still find meaning in all of it.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?
To my close friends and family, I would recommend this book. However, I would not recommend it to everyone. I know people don't like to receive information that they don't believe in. I enjoyed this book because I believe in God and Jesus Christ. Reading this book was enriching. It widened my perspective of how the Holy Trinity is differentiated and united at the same time.
If you are interested in stories about overcoming guilt and rising beyond hatred towards forgiveness, the religious part of this book does not really matter. You will enjoy the story for what it is.
OVERALL RATING
My overall rating is based on my reading experience, the content or story, and the learning. My reading experience was kind of disjointed but I think that's intentional. I've talked about how the pacing of the story changed throughout the story. For the content, I think the book was well-written and polished. The scenes were detailed and the characters were alive. There were some radical ideas about Christianity that I don't necessarily agree with but I'm still glad I encountered those ideas. Knowing new ideas can be considered as learning.
My rating is 3 out of 5 and here is my break down:
Reading Experience - 3/5
Content - 4/5
Learning - 3/5
That's it! This review is done. Honestly, it was quite difficult to write this because I was a bit scared of writing the wrong things about the book and my faith. I haven't posted in more than a week because I was 'stuck.' All of my other posts are secular. But I had to remind myself that this is just a Book Review and all these thoughts and ideas are all mine. They don't need to agree with anyone else's and I trust I am honoring my faith through what I'm doing.
For my next book review, I will be writing about Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Watch out for that post in the future. Cheers!
