The Shack

How effective is Young’s use of an extremely traumatic episode (the kidnapping and murder of a little girl) as a means for exploring human suffering? Does the gravity of the trauma make it unrelatable to most people’s experience, or does it serve to increase its poignancy?

Consider Young’s use of a female character to represent God the Father. Was this an effective way of dealing with Mack’s character arc during Papa’s dialogues with him? How would you asses it as a representation of Trinitarian theology?

Reflect on Young’s choice to present all three characters of the Trinity as people of color. Is this an important choice in the context of the story? What does it signify?