PLOT: When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope.
In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sster hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother tying to grasp the meaning of the word gone.
And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it-except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.
With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event.
The Lovely Bones is luminous and astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. On 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.
MY OPINION: A co-worker of mine was helping me think of suggestions for the next Ladybug Book Club Meeting. She suggested two books - The Lovely Bones and The Road. I then, suggested these two books to the book club and we all voted on three books. The Lovely Bones came in first and The Road a close second. I was so excited when I checked The Lovely Bones out at the library.
This book is one of my favorites. You really fall in love with Susie and you want so bad for them to find her killer. You also see her family and friends try to remember her but also try to move past in some ways also.
From the time I picked up this novel it was so hard to put down and do the things that needed to be done around me. I'm so happy with the ending. It didn't end as planned but it was even better right down to the last page.
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