I had some reservations about this at the start, given that it’s about a man who meets god at the site where his daughter was murdered but I was prepared to see how the author handled it and apparently it’s a best seller.
The first third of the book, as already mentioned, is really well written and detailed the events surrounding the death of the daughter well. She gets abducted from a campsite by a known pedophile and is later slain at The Shack and her body is never recovered.

Thencomes the interesting part, when Mack, father of Missy, finds a note from god in his letterbox asking him to meet him at The Shack. Although he feels it might be a trap by the killer or he may be losing his mind, his curiosity wins and he goes.

After tearing the shack apart in a fit of grief and rage when god isn’t there, he attempts to leave only to be met by a ‘miracle’. The snow melts, the shack returns to its original state and is surrounded by green fields with wild flowers and singing birds.

Then in comes ‘god’ A black woman Elouisa, a guy called Jeshua and another woman called Sarayu. Some interesting theology based conversaton ensues and I began to have hope until ” We created you to share….Adam chose to go it on his own, as we knew he would, and everything got messed up”

I read another ten pages and decided it’s not worth my time. I was OK to go along with the ‘god’ theory but the creationist stuff is just too much to swallow for me. I was raised a catholic so don’t leave disparaging comments or try to convert me. I have an open mind in all things but please, Adam? I was hoping for something more insightful.

Next on the list is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I abandoned to finish The Shack.

This is quite a small book, relatively speaking, but a deceptively long read. Written by WM. Paul Young, it’s the story of a man who returns to the scene of the murder of his young daughter, called there by ‘God’.
I’m just at the interesting part now, about a third of the way through, after the gruelling first part detailed the circumstances of the death of the daughter.

Full cliff notes tomorrow (insomnia still reigns).

Spoiler Alert!

Finally Bella and Edward are married in a ceremony reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice. Jacob had left the pack of wolves, destined for a life of solitude after Bella could not love him. He returns as a wedding present. He is mortified to discover that Edward and Bella are planning on consumating the marriage as vampire and human, fearing that Bella will be killed by Edward.

Fearless and determined, Bella and Edward leave for their honeymoon to Esme’s Island, an idyllic setting on a pacific island.

They are successful in making love, though Edward has left Bella with many bruises, he is determined not to ever risk it again, however Bella again seduces him and as she says, they get better with practice.

By the end of the honeymoon, she discovers that she is pregnant, Edward and Carlisle have decided to remove the child before it kills Bella. Bella’s maternal instincts kick in and she enlists Rosalie to help her protect her unborn baby.

Back at the Cullen house, Jacob seeks out Edward fearing that he has changed Bella. He discovers a distraught Edward, sure he has killed Bella as the baby eats away at her.

Jacob tells the pack what is going on and they decide to kill Bella because of the abomination that grows within her. This goes against everything that Jacob believes and he takes back his claim to the Alpha and defies Sam the leader. He Read more »

The time for Bella’s change into a vampire draws nearer with her graduation only a few weeks away. This news devastates Jacob, who has now imprinted on Bella as his life partner. (editors note this is what I thought while reading but was proved wrong later on in the series he is actually only madly in love with her) Edward will only change Bella if she is married to him.

Meanwhile, Victoria is still tracking Bella and the wereworlves and vampires have a nasty exchange in a border incident while both sides were trying to catch Victoria.

Seattle is now the scene of massacre as new vampires wreak havoc on the city, killing at random. The Cullens are watching this carefully and fear Volturi intervention.

A mysterious vampire visitor to Bella’s room has everyone on edge as it is a new scent. Someone is making more vampires without supervision and the problem is escallating.

Jacob and Bella’s relationship intensifies as she realises that she is also in love with him, but not as strongly as she is with Edward.

Alice finally has a vision of what is to come, a swarm of new vampires are coming to attack the town, led by Victoria, to kill Bella.  The Cullens are outnumbered and enter into an alliance with the werewolves whose pack numbers are now Read more »

These are now back in my possession so will cliffnote them soon