Written by the son of missionaries for his own children, THE SHACK has become an unforeseen bestseller. Riding a wave of both rapturous word-of-mouth praise and sharp criticism, it has become a significant novel in the Christian community. The premise is simple and powerful, like a tale from the Bible itself: Mackenzie Phillips, a former seminary student, is crippled with grief over the brutal abduction and murder of his young daughter four years ago. When he receives a summons to the mountain shack where his daughter was killed, he is suspicious, but eventually discovers that he has been called to a private meeting with God, with each part of the Holy Trinity appearing in different guises. Author William P. Young uses novelistic devices to make Christian values easily understood and, more significantly, deeply felt. However, his book has stirred up controversy in its casual and modernized depiction of God, and Young's occasional disregard for Church orthodoxy.