I am now reading this book to the jr high class at church, although it is really slow going when I only have 45 minutes every other Sunday.Apparently my first blog didn't go where it was supposed to, so I will try to remember what I said.

The first few chapters were hard for me to get into.  I apparently like more action than description ( although I know that description is supposed to be a sign of good writing). I thought the author didn't spend much time describing the two older kids (Kate and her brother whose name escapes me right now.) But I plowed through it and I do think that it was important in establishing the connection he had to his kids and to his wife. 
I expected it to go the way most "Christian" writing does, by finding his daughter alive and then dealing with the aftermath for her.  But it was more true to life in that bad things do end badly.
I never did get far past the idea of God being a black woman. If He was showing himself to a black person it would have made more sense, but Mack isn't black.  I know what the explanation for it was, but it still didn't make much sense to me.

More after I do some rereading.