LITERARY ANALYSIS: The Shack by William P Young

SUMMARY:This books starts off with depressed a man named Mack alone at home surrounded by ice and snow. We then enter the memories of Mack and find out why he is so sad. When he and his kids Missy, Kate and Josh went camping he took his eye off Missy for a couple seconds and when he turned back around she was gone. She was abducted and brutally murdered in a shack. Mack has blamed himself for her death and has lived with that guilt ever since. One day when he was alone at home he checked the mail and found that he had received a letter that said,
"Mackenzie,

It’s been a while. I’ve missed you.
I’ll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together. -Papa "
Mack was in complete shock and at first thought it was some cruel prank by the mailman. He called the mail office to find out that no mail has been sent to his side of town due to the weather conditions. "papa" is a name his wife uses to refer to god. Feeling all sorts of different emotions, Mack decides to go to the shack where his daughter was murdered. Once there Mack sees the large blood stain on the floor of the cabin. He collapsed right next to the blood stain and cried. Wondering why he had even gone there Mack decides to leave. As he is leaving he is comfronted by god, jesus, and sarayu. They help him understand what they all do for him and even in times of great sadness and pain he should always have faith. This experience changes Mack's way of thinking toward god and jesus. The story ends with Mack waking up in the hospital bein gtold that he was injured on his way to the cabin and never reached it there. Mack cant believe what he is being told and tells the officer all that had happended to him. The details he gives eventually lead to the discovery of other little girls that have been murdered and the man who murdered them.

THEME: you may not understand why god lets certain things happen but if you have faith in god everything will be okay.