The Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold

Schoolgirl Susie Salmon was waylaid one evening by a neighbor man who lured her into a trap where he raped then murdered her. Her body was never found: only an elbow that he dropped when transporting her cut up remains elsewhere.
Powerless in heaven Susie watches as her family, father, mother, sister & brother try to cope with her terrible death. Her spirit constantly dances attendance on them, on her school mates, on people in the neighborhood. She tries to reach out to them, to comfort, to touch, to love but as a spirit it is all in vain. She even haunts the house of her killer but he is never aware of her or of the spirits of his other victims that linger near by.
The years pass. Her parents split. Her sister grows up. Her baby brother becomes a teen. And as they grow and change and age, Susie is there, always a part and apart.

This is a pretty sad story although the descriptions of heaven are enchanting. It seems like a murder mystery at first but it is really a story of a dead girl learning to accept her own death and to accept that her loved ones have lives of their own to live but to also know that she will always be part of their lives, maybe not always in the forefront of their thoughts but still tucked away, regretted and loved. And even though at times it is a very touching story, for me it seemed to drag on too long and towards the last third I was just wishing the author would wrap it up. It's not a bad read or even just a fair read, but I found it a little too lengthy. And I would have liked a tidier ending, but that's just me. I like my fiction to be entertaining and I don't really want to learn any life lessons or be uplifted or inspired. The book wasn't my cup of tea but it is a good book and I am sure lots of people find it tremendous.