Reviewed by: Kris

Written by: Alice Sebold

Titled: Lovely Bones, The

When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen.

In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death, and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. (It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swingset.)

With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief--her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor--and begin the difficult process of healing.

In the hands of a brilliant new novelist, and through the eyes of her winning young heroine, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful, touching, even funny novel about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

I had first heard about this book on a message board. The people who post on that board seem to recommend things that I like, so I decided to check this book out. When I read the dust jacket for the book, I thought it sounded really interesting and I decided it was going on my list of books to read.

This is an interesting tale of life, childhood, love, loss, and the importance of family. It’s about a girl who is murdered and she tells us the entire story as it unfolds while she watches on from her Heaven. She knows what her family and friends are thinking when she watches them. She knows all their little secrets.

I like the way this story is told. This is what drew me in from the first page. It’s told from Susie’s point of view, but she is able to tell us everything about the other characters in the story. She tells us about her murderer, her family, her friends, and the boy she loved.

It is a sad story, but it’s also triumphant. Susie is watching her family grieve for her and try to get through that trying time in their lives. It tears her father apart as he embarks to find her killer. It drives her mother farther apart from the rest of the family. People that never would have talked if Susie hadn’t died are drawn together. And something truly miraculous happens near the end, but if I told you what that is then you would have no reason to go pick up this book.

I liked this book and will recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting story. I suppose most males will not like this novel, it’s just not something they would be interested in. Females should enjoy reading this. It isn’t the typical sort of story I would normally read, but if you are looking for something different you should check it out.