Book Club Members Present: Ulrika, Sheri, Jo, Tze Ching, Claire, Zita, Judy
Soup: Home made creamy tomato (almost burnt due to enthusiastic book discussion) - thanks Ulrika!
OK - first book club meeting which was very well organised by Ulrika and inspired by Jo's list of '100 Things to Do Before Dying'.
Our group didn't really know each other too well so do we opt for nice gentle chick-lit type ice breaker. Oh no, we go straight for the controversial faith questioning #1 New York Times Best-seller (according to the cover) "The Shack".
Here is the plot - and I may have been guilty of copying this from Wikipedia....
The novel is set in the American Northwest. The main character is Mackenzie Philips, a father of five, called "Mack" by his family and friends.
Four years prior to the main events of the story, Mack takes his three youngest children on a camping trip to Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon stopping atMultnomah Falls on the way. Two of his children are playing in a canoe when it flips and almost drowns Mack's son. Mack is able to save his son by leaving his youngest daughter Missy alone at their campsite. After Mack returns, he sees that Missy is missing. The police are called, and the family discovers that Missy has been abducted and murdered by a serial killer known as the "Little Ladykiller." The police find an abandoned shack in the woods where Missy was taken, but her body is never found. Mack's life sinks into what he calls "The Great Sadness."
At the beginning of the book, Mack receives a note in his mailbox from "Papa," saying that he would like to meet with Mack on that coming weekend at the shack. Mack is puzzled by the note - he has no relationship with his abusive father after Mack leaves home at age 13. He suspects that the note may be fromGod, whom his wife Nan refers to as "Papa."
Mack's family leaves to visit relatives and he goes alone to the shack, unsure of what he will see there. He arrives and finds nothing, but as he is leaving, the shack and its surroundings are supernaturally transformed into a lush and inviting scene. He enters the shack and encounters manifestations of the three persons of the Trinity. God the Father takes the form of an African American woman who calls herself Papa, Jesus Christ is a Middle-Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit physically manifests itself as an Asian woman named Sarayu.
The bulk of the book narrates Mack's conversations with Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu as he comes to terms with Missy's death and his relationships with the three of them.
The book generated some feisty discussion and we quickly got to know each other very well - each other's religious beliefs - or non-beliefs, strength of faith and so on - it all became quite heated at moments but there were no complete fall outs. The first part of the book is a harrowing read - and really hit a nerve with me as mother of young children - I had to hide a few tears behind sunglasses on the Bracknell commuter train. The Shack was an interesting one to discuss as among us were Christian believers, a spiritualist a couple on the fence and couple of non-believer. Even for the latter groups it threw up some really thought provoking stuff.
General opinion of the book was quite divided. Some thought it was interesting for its thought provoking messages others found no enjoyment in it whatsoever.
The soup was delicious though and it was great to meet a new group of friends.
Posted by Jo
