At first it was hard to get into the book. I thought I would have to force myself to read it. By the third chapter I had gotten into Mr Bradbury's style and loved that each chapter was a story within a story. I think the boys goodbye scene was the most beautiful part, I actually became "misty-eyed".

The Shack is a very spiritual book and I thought it had a wonderful life message.
At first we were concerned about the religious tone of the book. The women in our book club come from different backgrounds and have different religious beliefs.
The Shack storyline is based on one man’s personal relationship with God. But the life lessons are not bound to any religion.
In the book, “Papa" gave a judgment choice that was very unsettling for me as the mother of two teenagers. Papa asked, “Choose of your children, which child goes to Hell and which goes to heaven? Which one do you love the most?”
I asked myself what would I do if I was offered the choice and came to the same conclusion, I love each child in a most special way and could never choose one over the other. I actually have made a conscious effort to be more forgiving of my teens’ “growing pains" because no matter what the "sin" I still love them.
The discussions at are club meeting were more on the way people deal with tragedy and how they deal with grief than the religious aspect. At first we did not like the ending, it made you wonder was it real or an effect of the accident. One lady suggested that the accident was also a choice “To stay in Heaven or return to life.”