The Shack by William P. Young

Format: Audiobook

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review

Horror of horrors, I came to the end of my knitting supplies and had nothing to fill my morning train ride hours.

After some complaining, I woke one morning to find a small MP3 player sitting on the kitchen table, along with a spare battery. An audiobook borrowed from the library had been converted and loaded onto the player and I was instructed to take it with me on the train.

The Shack is a story of a man whose six-year-old daughter is taken and murdered while the family is on a camping trip. It goes on to examine the anguish that follows that tragic event, both emotionally and spiritually.

When I first started listening, neither G nor I realised the story was religious. By the time I did realise, I had already grown attached to the main character and wanted to know more.

Yes, this story is highly religious and my one complaint is that at times the dialogue felt more like a sermon than a discussion. Yet at the same time, I was drawn in and held tight by the ideas behind those sermons.

Prior to 18 May 2006, I probably would not have listened to the entire book because I simply don’t like being preached at. But I’ve changed in many ways. Whilst I didn’t enjoy the preachy parts, I remained completely absorbed in what was being said.

This isn’t a book I would feel comfortable recommending widely because not everyone will get something from it. However, readers who have experienced grief or troubled times may find comfort in it.

Religious or not, I’m glad I listened to this audiobook because I gained something from it.