Book Review -- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold {Spoilers Included} (154 hits)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Started reading this novel around Jan. 15, 2010. An excellent book. I absolutely Love anything having to do with murder mysteries, forensic science, how dunnit, who dunnits, etc.., except for in this story we know who did it. The victim narrates the tale from her Heaven. The way Alice Sebold weaves the tale is fascinating. The way the murdered girl Susie Salmon describes her Heaven kept me drawn in more than the question of whether or not Mr. Harvey, her murderer will get what's coming to him. Susie's Heaven is not the traditional Angels, Heavenly choirs or even God. Actually Susie never meets God at all in her Heaven. She does meet other family members who have passed, other girls Mr. Harvey has killed and when the family pet passes away her dog Holiday. The way Ms. Sebold has Susie experience Heaven makes it more real, even more appetizing than any description a minister/preacher could communicate on a Sunday morning.
Susie's Heaven is unique to her, specialized to her wants, needs and desires complete with a more experienced guardian spirit who serves as an orientation spirit to help you adjust to your new station. As you get through your transition period your Heaven begins to overlap with other deceased persons Heavens so you can have companionship and make new friends.
The underlying story of how her family is torn apart by her murder then reunites at the end of the book seemed secondary. However the trials and tribulations of the loss of a child, a sister shows the reader how precarious life is and the ties that bind us together. Sometimes those ties have to be sawn in half like the Gordian knot before a reknitting; a reweaving if you will can begin.
The only part I hated was towards the end of the novel when there is what could be called a transmigration of Souls with Susie doing the Quantum Leap thing into Ruth's body so she can make love with Ray, the boy who gave her, her first kiss. Maudlin. Ray is Indian. He studies medicine and becomes a doctor. A doctor who recognizes the mind-body connection. Can someone say, Deepak Chopra? When I saw the direction this was taking, I thought, Oh a convenient Indian personality stereotype. This was nearly as bad as the concept of Transcendentalism I had to study in college. Hated that too. Made no sense to me. But I digress. Overall the Lovely Bones is a Great book and a Must Read.
