Me and Mack

Talking to author William Paul Young for our recent interview about “The Shack,” I couldn’t wait to ask the question that had been on my mind since I finished the book: How much of the main character, Mackenzie “Mack” Allen Philips, was crafted from William Paul Young’s own personality, life history and testimony?

I wasn’t surprised when Young said that the character is a lot like himself. What did intrique me was exactly what parts of Mack’s persona came from the author.

Young said his family has known death, but nothing like the tragedy that envelopes Mack and his family. However, Young said things like the  camping trip to Wallowa Lake and the Multnomah Princess story, real legend, are aspects of his own life that he brought to Mack’s story. Young said the story reads so real that two forensics detectives once called him looking for the case files on the Ladykiller.

Obviously the question of how much of Mack’s story is Young’s story has another, more sensitive layer to it.  It’s obvious to readers that Mack experienced some sort of trauma in his childhood that impacts the way he views “Papa” — God.  It’s also obvious that Mack learns much about forgiveness and redemption during his visit to the shack.  I believe that Young will likely share his testimony related to those issues in his presentations in Tulsa (April 2) and Enid (April 4-5).  

Meanwhile, here are more excerpts from my recent interview with Young:  

Q: What were your thoughts when you started getting the initial e-mails from people who wanted to meet Mack after reading “The Shack”?

A: “I was blown away. I like the book but I didn’t have any idea that it would resonate like this. You get close to something and you don’t see it like other people see it.  It just literally surprised me in every sense of the word and it continues to do that. It’s very surreal.”