Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

UPDATE: This review is for the book, not the movie

How do you make a beautiful story out of the rape and murder of a 14 year old girl? You let Alice Sebold write it. I bought this book a while back but hadn’t had the guts to dig in – just couldn’t wrap my mind around the premise. I needn’t have worried. Though there are a couple of missteps, or rather “unnecessary detours” which I will discuss in more since they are spoilers, all in all it is a wonderful ride.

I have not yet decided whether to recommend this to my sister, as the Heaven presented here is not the one she believes in. But the way it follows the characters and their different grieving processes is remarkable. Those type of questions cost it on the word of mouth scale, which you may remember is based not on how good the product is but on how likely I am to recommend it to my family & friends.


SPOILERS FOR THE LOVELY BONES

Why did Susie’s mom have to hook up with Fenerman? Especially where/when she did – didn’t add to the story at all.

Why did Ruth & Susie have to switch? or Accepting that, why would Susie, who was killed at 14 and tells us she never grows up as she sees her sister doing, want nothing more than to have sex with Ray? What in her heavenly existence would lead her to that?