William Paul Young wrote an incredible book, "The Shack," and it is no surprise that it is a #1 New York Times Bestseller and has over two million copies in print.  It's written as therapy for the author, as he relates very closely to the pain inside of the main character, Mackenzie Allen Philips.  Young held in deep, dark secrets of sexual abuse, a none relationship with his parents, and adultery, while Mack battled a terrible relationship with his father and the loss of his youngest daughter.  According to USA Today, "Young functioned by stuffing all the evil done to him and by him into a "shack" — his metaphor for an ugly, dark place hidden so deeply within him that it seemed beyond God's healing reach."

The story is based on Mack struggling beyond means to deal with the pain and loss he has inside of himself, and his questioning of why God didn't help him out.  He then gets a letter, sent to him by God, to meet at The Shack.  The Shack being the place where his little girl was murdered.  He goes, alone, and meets God, depicted as an older, African-American woman, Jesus, shown as a Middle Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit as a light illuminating fairy.  It is here, through their words and teaching, that he is able to accept what has happened, is able to resolve issues, and is able to move on in his life.

The angle of religion that Young uses is brilliant, and goes beyond church or denomination, but rather the relationship a person has with God.  Young says, according to the USA today, "I have a lot of freedom by knowing that you really experience God in relationships, wherever you are. It's fluid and dynamic, not cemented into an institution with a concrete foundation."

Each and every person can get something out of this book.  "The Shack" is well worth a read.