The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

(4 out of 5)

Reading Level: Adult

This book came out in 2002 and it went flying off the shelves at the library. If I remember correctly the waiting list was quite long. I was probably one of the only people on the planet not to read this book. It sounded very intriguing but I must have had other books to consume at the time. At the library we do once a month book discussions. I picked this book for our discussion in May. I thought to myself this is the perfect opportunity for me to read it. I'm really glad I did. Alice Sebold has spun an emotional roller coaster of a story. The Lovely Bones is about fourteen year old Susie and her family. From the start of the book Susie is already in heaven. She dies by the hands of a neighbor in a very brutal way. In the weeks following her death, Susie watches over her family desperately trying to reach out to them. And she also explores the place called heaven. As the months turn into years each family member (mom, dad, sister Lindsey, and brother Buckley) cope in their own way. The police have no leads as to who the killer is but Susie's father is convinced that he knows who did it. But he has no proof.

"The Lovely Bones is luminous and astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. In the hands of a brilliant new writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about love, memory, joy, heaven, and healing (book jacket)."

The Lovely Bones is being made into a movie directed by Peter Jackson. To find out more about the movie go to http://www.imdb.com/.