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I bought this book by accident but gave it a fair chance.

A facile god bothering pile of rubbish.

This book was a beautiful read. It reads like a true story but touches on the essence of God and our realtionship with Him.

The author has picked a topic that is not usually talked about amongst Christian circles and one that I believe everyone finds dark and disturbing, that of a child being raped and murdered, and the consequences leading from this. However the book is able to take something dark and sinister and find a way we can walk through it and still see God.

It touched my heart and I would recommend it to all, especially those who are struggling with their ideas of who God is and where God is in all the sufferring that is going on around us.

I began reading this book with an open mind, expecting something quite extraordinary, partly based on the reviews here, and partly based on the excitement it seemed to be generating from those that had read it.

The basic premise (and this is in no way a spoiler) is that something very bad happens, and the novel attempts to work through the why's and what-if's of it all. No suprises there..

That it uses some unusual stereotypes for its central characters is unusual, and in parts delightful to read, but once again, no suprises there. I was expecting a little of that anyway.

When I got to the end of the book, and its underlying implication / message of "this might be a true strory" I was outraged.

Outraged, because I found the deeply hurtful central issue of "why did this (bad thing) happen" totally unanswered to any satisfaction. I found the implication that it was in some way "meant" to happen misjudged, and that all is OK in some other place, bizarre. And I found the whole treatment of such deeply dreadful loss and injustice skirted over, dismissed, and explained away.

This is totally unforgivable from the author (and a totally unforgivable crime in my book too.)

Sorry, fans, it just doesn't live up to the hype I'm afraid.

The blurb says it's "heart-warming and inspirational", and that it's about a man, Mack, striving to understand why God allows pain and suffering in the world. Well, it wasn't my choice to read the book, it was given to me, and I was determined I would find it smug and irritating.

Right from the start there were surprises: after a few pages I realised it was funny, down to earth, and was going to deliver some jolts. First page, the men in Mack's family are all addressed by their middle name - as in my family. That got my attention. Then the setting seemed eerily familiar and jolt 2, I realised it is set in Nez Perce Indian country, Oregon. I have just read and reviewed "Selling Your Father's Bones" about this place... it was like journeying over some very familiar ground. Jolt 3, whether I liked it or not, the deceptively simplistic language of the book contains some mind-blowingly huge theological concepts in the most accessible way. There is a lot that orthodoxy will frown at. (Good) - and a lot of answers that will make a lot of sense to a lot of people.

Many readers will immediately love this; (dare I say, it is more likely to appeal to less cynical Americans than British) others like myself will have to struggle past the initial "over-sickly-sentimental" doubts and hesitations. But...

..."Mack would like you to know that if you happen upon this story and hate it, he says "Sorry...but it wasn't primarily written for you"" (page 13).

My own final jolt was on page 147 as this has been the subject of much debate among some of my friends recently.

Finally, if addressing God as Papa sounds weird: Jesus uses the word "daddy" in Mark 14:36.

I am not a religious person at all but this book was gripping, moving, inspiring and gobsmacking all at the same time - a great story if you believe in God or not.