I just finished The Shack last Friday. On Saturday I saw the author, William P. Young, speak at my local library (we live in the same town). Both the book and the author were very impressive.
I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t read it, but you should! The author uses a story to convey his understanding of God, and it’s a powerful, incisive understanding. His theology is sound, yet challenging and liberating to modern thought.
The story itself is good for a first time effort. I can’t help comparing to C.S. Lewis… Young’s story telling is not on par with Lewis, but his ability to convey deep truth is, and that’s saying a lot.
I enjoyed the author’s talk very much. He gave the history of the book, the writing process, how it got published, a bit about his personal life, etc. At the end of the talk, Young said he’d sign everyone’s book, but he hates selling them, so we should buy them from Costco or other stores if we wanted to save money. After signing each book, he gave each person who came a hug!
