Pertinent Info

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Little, Brown and Co., 2002)
I read it in March, 2010

Why’d I Read It?

I found it at the thrift store last summer, on sale for 50 cents, and I’d heard good things about it from several friends.

What I Thought

I was blown away.  Susie’s story gripped my from the first three sentences and never let me go.  It was disturbing, but not overly so, and beautiful.  The family’s reactions, both in the short-term after the murder, and in the ensuing years, were realistic, well-handled, and striking.

The supernatural elements – Susie’s Heaven, her “relationship” with Ruth – those helped, too.  I love when authors play with elements of life beyond life.

If I have to pick something to criticize, it would be that Susie’s voice is a smidge too old, too advanced for a girl her age.  It works, though, and I think it would’ve been a much less accomplished story without padding her maturity with an extra year or two.

Favorite Lines

I was much too enthralled to keep track while I was reading, but one line stuck out for me (probably because I’m in an state of Extreme Puppy Want these days):

“Riches in furry packages.  Dogs.”  Perfect summation of people’s best friends.

Would I Recommend It?

Definitely.