The Lovely Bones

Description from Goodreads:

The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder — a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family’s need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that’s calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive — and then some. But Susie isn’t ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.

Review:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was published in 2006 by Little, Brown and Company.

This book is a train wreck and I mean that in the best possible way. It is well-written. The plot is unpredictable and original. The characters are relatable and the journey of this family undeniably touches the heart of the reader. Sebold has created a gripping, heart-wrenching tale that keeps the reader hooked. You cannot describe this book as satisfying by any means, but just like a train wreck, you can’t look away.

In The Lovely Bones, Sebold tells the story of one family’s journey after the horrific murder of their teenage daughter. It is told from the victim’s point-of-view and relates what happens after this shocking crime occurs.

Whether you enjoy this book or not, the talent of the writer cannot be disregarded. To write a debut novel that evokes such an overwhelming response from the reader is an almost unbelievable accomplishment.

If you have not read this book, you should. Just don’t be surprised when it rips your heart out.

Rated: 4 Plot Monster Spiders

Notable Quotes:

“My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered.”
― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

“This is just a temporary hell, not a permanent one.”
― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

MDW original review. Source: Personal Library.