The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones: Book Review

Commendable literature is a story; a story that in essence can captivate the mind, leave you yearning for more, has a cherished moral, and can be valued by future generations. The Lovely Bones’ readers, reading a heart-rending and intense story from the point view of someone who has already departed from earth, fully motivated me, as a reader, to retain an open-mind throughout the book. Comparable to most stories I have to read for academic purposes, I did not dread setting aside time to complete the work written by Alice Sebold.

The story began, familiarizing the setting and laying the groundwork for the book by introducing the plot and characters, and amplifying the dramatic tone for forthcoming happenings. The story is told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old-girl whose name “was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie” ( Sebold 1). Susie was murdered by her neighbor, George Harvey. He plays an innocent widower and has the boldness to approach and express condolences for Susie to her mother and in response to this Susie says, “The man has no shame” (Sebold 8). He doesn’t care and shows no remorse for what he did. He in fact was so self-assured that he has gotten away with the crime he has committed; he had the “audacity” to apologize to Mrs. Salmon. Mr. Harvey is a character who unfortunately, seems to have many “mommy issues” and to the shock of many, Susie is not his first prey, but just one of numerous victims.

Susie’s father plays such an important role throughout the entire story and really shows the audience stages of grief. It begins with shock and denial. Mr. Salmon refused to believe Susie was dead, he was confident she would come home, which creates a handful of complicatio...

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...e time she needed to let go. She, even though she was the narrator, grew as a character too. The story was about how her death affected those who loved her and knew her, and how they grew as people. Although her life was lost, new life also began. New friendships took their places in the world. The story gives off a sense of acceptance and that the living should focus on what is now, not what could’ve been. What is done is done; no one can do anything about that. What is important in life is to hold on and love those who are around us, and to let go of things holding us back. I thought this book portrayed that message well. It kept me entertained and I felt every emotion while reading it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a story that is different and not afraid to think outside the box or someone that needs direction when it comes to dealing with grief.