A while ago, I bought the book The Shack with intentions of sitting down and reading straight through it. My purchase was prompted by a conversation with a super dear friend of mine... sparked my interest, so I thought I'd give it a go.
However, I started reading, cried more than I expected in the first 3 chapters, and so stopped reading. I think I thought I knew what was coming, and I didn't want to read about it... so I just didn't. Book sat on my shelf for several months, totally untouched.
Then a few weeks ago, my neighbor came over one morning, and in passing conversation, she said something about the book that sparked an interest again. So I sat down, picked it back up, and started fresh from the beginning.
This time, it took me less than one day to plow through that. It was the kind of book I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to know more, see what happened next, and most of all, be provoked to really think and ponder the things that were being presented.
I've never known a book to pack so much into so few pages. The number of topics and facets of God's being and nature that are fit into the pages of The Shack are just astounding. So much so that I have now begun rereading it, at a much slower pace, even jotting down notes along the way, so that I can fully digest and consider all that's being said. Once I've gotten through it the second time, I'll go back through my notes, and take a closer look at what I feel I truly believe to be solid... and then maybe do some digging on any issues I am unsure of.
At a minimum, it is more than safe to say, this book has captured my interest beyond anything I've read for quite some time. It is a great illustration of so many aspects of God. It is unbelievably thought-provoking. And it has renewed my deepest passion to know God as He really is... and to be closer to Him than ever before. Love that.