The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
Boston, MA. : Little, Brown 2002.
288 pages.
ISBN: 9780316666343
On a quiet winter night in 1973, a young 14 year old, Susie Salmon is both raped and murdered by an unassuming neighbor. Susie narrates this story from heaven as her family and friends deal with the grief and horror of her tragic death. Susie also watches her murderer as she searches to come to terms with their fateful meeting. She watches as those she loves grow older, graduate and move on while she is stuck, never changing in her heaven. She still longs for Ray Singh, her first kiss and envies her sister, Lindsey as she goes through life’s milestones. This novel is both heartbreaking and suspenseful as Susie describes her own death with shocking and disturbing detail while her murderer roams free. Susie’s narration is moving, and the multi-layered storyline is compelling. Towards the latter half, the novel becomes less engaging as Susie’s and her family begin to move on and recover from her death. The suspense that moves the first part along quickly seems to taper off towards the ending. Although the change is apparent, the novel is still engaging and an excellent read for those who are interested in psychological fiction.
