Lovely Bones, Lovely Book!

The lovely bones captivated me with its unique blend of fantasy and reality—a combination I was hesitant about at first but later found enjoyable. From the first sentences on the first page, “My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie” to the very last sentence on the final page, “I wish you all a long and happy life,” The Lovely Bones was both intriguing and mesmerizing. I believe I felt this way while reading it because it had several appealing qualities. One, that is was able to open my eyes to whole new world filled with happiness, joy, self-discovery, and sadness; a world that is only what you make of it. Two, it allowed me to understand the process of grief and recovery in dealing with death. I personally have not suffered from the loss of a loved one or a close family member, so being able to see the aftermath of death through the eyes of one who has helped me in getting a better understanding of what that might be like. The characters’ emotions were so clearly and effectively described, that getting a glimpse of what dealing with death is like is easy to do. This topic of death or tragedy, when joined by a brilliant and descriptive narration is one that can easily be captivating as it is a common experience for many humans therefore, very relatable and true to life, which I found makes a good book.


Another important aspect of the book is its characters. Susie Salmon, the main character, a young girl who is raped at the age of fourteen by her serial killer neighbor, narrates the book with a keen eye from her celestial heaven on her friends and family back on earth. Her naïve perspective on life in heaven after her death was one that I found to be interesting and meaningful. Watching over the life she is no longer apart of, Susie learns many life lessons and is able to see her family and friends for who they really are. For example when Susie watches over her mother, she sees a side to her that was very different from the one she saw when she was alive. Only once had she seen her mother like this before her death but she had not been able to really understand why she was so different. Then in heaven she begins to understand that the women she sees is not her mother anymore but rather just another human being. Seeing Susie grow mentally as she discovers the meaning of life and who she is was refreshing as I am going through this same self-discovery at this point in my life. Susie’s mom, Abigail also goes through a discovery period where she realizes her unhappiness and boredom in life. Her character related to me in that she as am I is looking for what she really wants in life. The Lovely Bones does a great job relating to many different people on many different levels in ways I found to be more effective than other books I have read.
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