However, when my friend lent me the book, he did not say "if you have time on your trip, read this" or "next time you get the chance, read this" instead he plainly told me to read the book and that it was one of those books that you couldn't put down. So, almost guiltily, I packed the paperback away in my backpack where it kept Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (every summer I reread the series, don't judge) company for the duration of my vacation.

It was only after I finished Harry Potter halfway through the trip that I thought of opening "The Shack," if not for curiosity then sheer boredom. And, as ridiculous as it sounds, I was entranced by it. It made no sense even in my own mind, the prose was nothing special (although profoundly descriptive) and I thought I could predict the plot from a mile away (which I was pleasantly surprised that I predicted wrong) but the book held my attention.

In hindsight I believe my increased attentiveness to "The Shack" is due to the fact that when the main character Mack confronts God and the trinity, he asks all the questions that burned in the back of my mind, most of which I dismissed as holes in my religion. The main focus of these questions (to me) seemed to be why God let's bad things happen to good people. Although I cannot clearly and simply answer the question even after reading the book, a sense of peace has overtaken the doubt that resided in my mind.

"The Shack" also reinforced my own personal belief in God, which, in a nutshell, can best describe a God who loves all equally but in a unique way and doesn't expect anything of his creation. My belief is contrary to the mindset of "if I go to church every Sunday, I'm in his good favor." In my mind, God doesn't care if I go to church (which, let's face it, is downright dull sometimes) or if I volunteer 50% of my life because God knows me and loves me exactly the way I am.

I digress..."The Shack" illuminates my belief in such an emmaculate way that I am transfixed by the wonder of it all.

Needless to say, I googled it shortly after I finished the book and found numerous slayings and rants about how "The Shack" falsely depicts God and the trinity, most of the ranters were church officials (go figure).

That all being said, I encourage all of you who are precariously tipping on the edge of faith to read "The Shack." If anything it will give you a different perspective on modern religion.