The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebold

I am probably in the minority but this book did not do much for me. I was very disappointed in it after reading all the great reviews. The story is narrated by Susie, a 14 year old girl who is murdered by a serial killer. Susie tells the story from Heaven, or what seems to be a sort of in-between place between Earth and Heaven. She then watches the lives of numerous people unfold below on earth, although the main story is concerned with the effect her death has on her family and the toll it takes over the years. The premise of a murdered child watching her murderer, family and friends below and commenting from Heaven was interesting, but the family story that followed was not any more original than other books about families that disintegrate after the death of a family member. The characters and their actions just did not seem real to me and I quickly lost interest.

I suppose THE LOVELY BONES is a timely story, based on the child abductions and murders that have been in the news lately, but I didn't find the book that well written in the second half - some of it was even bizarre. The characters and story seemed shallow to the point that I had the feeling this book is just a step away from being classified as purely young adult fare. I had a hard time sustaining any interest in the story after the halfway point and have to admit that I skimmed a bit to get the book finished.

There *were* some touching passages in this book that I will remember. One I particularly liked was:

<< . . . . the dead truly talk to us, that in the air between the living, spirits bob and weave and laugh with us. They are the oxygen we breathe." >>

Dog lovers will like the last two paragraphs on page 231 although I won't include it here as it contains some spoilers.

Hopefully, this review won't discourage the reading of this book. Even though I thought it flawed, I know it will touch the hearts of many readers. I just wish the second half had been more skillfully written.