“Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.”
–William Paul Young, The Shack

This book is unlike any book I have ever read. It is abstract and complex but presented in a beautifully simple way. It shows the journey that many people take of blaming God when something bad happens and how the Trinity is present in our everyday life.

SPOILER ALERT

This book is obviously very religious based but in a generalized way. At one point, Papa (aka God) says that humans created institutions and hierarchies and religion but that a true relationship was what he was looking for. I love this and, while I still attend my church regularly, I believe this and know that my church supports this idea as well.

What I loved about this book more than anything else was the way that we watched Mack go through the grieving process and how the Trinity responded to it. Not with anger but with sympathy. Sympathy for his pain and hurt but with a bigger understanding that the best is yet to come. Although he doesn’t know it, this is part of a bigger picture that he may not even understand. The book shows the relationship between parents and their children and uses it to show us that the relationship is the same between the Trinity and all of us.

Now for those that may not be religious or believe the same ways I do, I think there are other stories that can be gathered from this book. The story is about a father grieving and how he gets through it. It shows us that all of our stories are interwoven and that every decision we make has a a ripple effect even further than we can see. And it tells us to love. Love everyone. And forgive. Forgive everyone because that anger will only bring you down and keep you in a dark place. Forgiveness is about letting go and moving forward, which is something only we can do for ourselves.

SUMMARY

While this book is a Christian based book, I think its a great read for anyone who has had trouble loving those around them or forgiving someone for something. As a Christian, it helped me understand some deeper concepts as they apply to my faith and I encourage everyone to find the parts of the story that help them.

I think this trailer looks beautiful and I am very excited to see how this one translates to the screen but I say this cautiously as I know that the images in my head are beautiful already.

GRADE: A-