The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The story is told from the viewpoint of 14 year old Susie Salmon who has been raped and murdered and is now in heaven watching her family implode and her killer go free. If that sounds a bit gruesome it really isn’t. It’s a beautifully written book about violent death and how a community copes. The unique part is that along with the first person voice we also have access to the thoughts and feelings of the people on the earth as they go about their daily lives. This allows Susie to comment on what’s happening as well.

That’s the good part about the book. The more difficult part is that as it moves along you begin to really wish they would just let go; both the family and the dead girl. Perhaps that was the author’s intent because that’s what the book is about, letting go. There are a couple of disturbing scenes to me that I wish could have been left out but the conclusion is an amazing one and worth getting to.

I’ve avoided reading this book because I didn’t like the title but in the end the lovely bones are not what you think they are going to be and she does describe what she means by it. So I highly recommend this book with the caution that it could be upsetting and disturbing to some people.