mommy2jesse's Full Review: Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
I'm a firm believer that the opening lines of a novel are crucial in the success of catching the reader's attention. This novel does succeed. "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." These are the opening lines of The Lovely Bones. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by this?
I had actually purchased this novel at a garage sale a few months ago, but found myself too busy to sit down and read. Now that I’ve finished it, only moments ago, I wonder why I delayed myself the joy of it. In less than 36 hours I read The Lovely Bones from cover to cover. In that time I had laughed and cried and felt such heartache for the family that lost Susie, as well as for Susie herself.
The Lovely Bones opens by giving a brief description of the life of an average fourteen-year-old girl in 1973. Written in first person, Susie tells the reader about the quote she had chosen for her Junior High School yearbook, as well as the school clubs she was a member of. The story eases into the description of how this vibrant, loved teenager was brutally killed.
Alice Sebold, the author, adequately described the fear and pain, physical, emotional and psychological pain, which Susie has while she is being brutally raped and murdered. Throughout the entire story, the reader is well aware of who her murderer is. This brings on a feeling of loathing for this man anytime his name is mentioned on the page. My heart actually sank when his name appeared. Though the description goes into detail, it isn’t at all gruesome or offensive. Remember, this is written as the view of a fourteen-year-old child: she doesn’t have the words to quite describe exactly what is happening to her. But, the adult reader does know. Making the reality of it much more frightening.
Within the first few pages, after Susie has been killed, she ascends to her own heaven. Sebold describes the individualized heaven for Susie well. Each character she meets, though only a peripheral in the story, are well introduced. The originality of this description is that Susie’s heaven mingles with the personal heaven of hundreds of others. Though she doesn’t meet them, she does see them. They are apart of her and she is apart of them.
Though Susie Salmon is the main character in the book, she is constantly observing her family, friends and loved ones, as well as her killer, from the depths of her heaven. The Lovely Bones is filled with crucial characters, most of which are endearing, some of which are selfish. Sebold does a marvelous job of introducing each character and describing the pain that they go through in the days, weeks and months after Susie’s death. And then, after years have passed, their eventual acceptance of their loss.
The Lovely Bones is 328 pages, though is a very quick read, especially the first ¾ of the novel. After the climax, the story winds down, and I found that unnecessary “filler” is used to pad the novel. Some of the scenes are unoriginal, despite the originality of the story as a whole, which makes reading it seem redundant at times. And, despite my joy in reading the novel, I felt that it just, for lack of a better word, ends. It drops off with the reader feeling unfulfilled and wanting more. I wanted to have more closure, but we don’t always get what we want.
In summary, The Lovely Bones, which is Sebold’s second book, is really a great novel that is original and well written. Though at times it seems to follow a cookie-cutter pattern, it was still enjoyable. Susie is an endearing young woman that the reader will fall in love with. Between her innocence and naivety, she is compelling. The characters are well developed and the reader can find at least one to connect with.
Sebold s mesmerizing and luminous first novel--a #1 national bestseller--builds a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, and even joy, following an u...More at Buy.com
Once in a generation a novel comes along that taps a vein of universal human experience, resonating with readers of all ages. THE LOVELY BONES is such...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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