Book Review: The Lovely Bones

This chilling story is told by a 14 year-old murder victim, Susie, as she watches the aftermath of her death from her heaven above. She watches over her family and feels helpless and sometimes guilty of the path her family now follows. Her mother, father, sister and brother all deal with the tragedy in very different ways. She also sees her murderer from heaven and can't do anything to bring his guilt to the attention of the authorities, even though some of her family already suspect him, but no one will listen. As the years pass she watches as her family tries to come to terms with their loss. She watches with envy as her younger sister grows into the beautiful, smart young woman that she will never be. She watches her parents, who once were so close become almost strangers to each other and she watches her little brother grow up to be the one constantly watching over their father, who seems so fragile still.

I liked this book and the writing style of the author, Alice Sebold. The story jumps around a bit, going back in time briefly here and there and jumps from one character to the next, but does it in a way that it always brings it right back to the present. You are able to get a good understanding of the characters and why they are who they are. This book is being made into a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Mark Wahlberg so I'm sure it'll be worth seeing. Even though the topic was tragic and sad, the story is gripping and I was glad I read it. Alice Sebold is also the author of LUCKY: A MEMOIR, written in 2001. It's the story of her own violent rape as a freshman at Syracuse University.