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.”
Q: Are you working on another book?
A: “Yes. Kim’s (Young’s wife) already told me what she wants. I have some fiction that I’m working on but the next major piece will be sort of a story form narrative, autobiographical piece: What’s the pain, what’s the story, where did this book (“The Shack”) come from. I have a very odd background and history. MacKenzie’s weekend in the shack represents 11 years of my life.”
Q: How has your life changed since “The Shack” was published?
A: “Nothing that matters has changed. Everything that mattered to me was in place before I wrote the story, so the story hasn’t added to my significance. I don’t care about fame and all that stuff. I care about relationship with Jesus. I care about my relationship with my wife and my kids and my friends and I care about living inside the grace of one day. It’s changed that I don’t work three jobs anymore. It’s changed that we are in an environment that is very different than it was a year and a half ago because we get exposed to people’s stories constantly; stories that are so full of redemption, transformation and pain. That continues to just soften you on the one side and tear your heart out on the other and gives cause for rejoicing.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Was Missy’s body ever located?