The Lovely Bones is a novel filled with
grief and emotions.Here is its summary.The narrator of The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon, is a normal fourteen
year-old girl. She has just received her first kiss and is looking
forward to going to high school next year. She is on her way home from
school when she is stopped by a man who
wants to show her something in
the cornfield. Susie thinks she can trust this man because he is a
neighbor who knows her parents. Unfortunately, this man, George Harvey,
is a serial
killer who rapes and murders Susie.
Susie is quickly taken to
heaven, where she meets Franny, her
guide in the afterlife. Heaven can be whatever she wants, and Susie
chooses to create her heaven in the image of her hometown high school.
However, the only thing Susie truly wants is to be back on Earth,
growing up with the people she loves. This is the one thing Susie
cannot have in heaven, but there is one way Susie can keep up with her
family. From heaven, Susie can look down and watch her family as they
struggle with their own
feelings about her murder. The Salmon family is forever changed as a result of Susie''s
murder. Susie watches as her parents drift apart and her siblings and
friends grow up and have experiences Susie can only witness. Her
mother, Abigail, wants to run away from her feelings, whereas her
father, Jack, wants to confront those feelings head on. Jack Salmon,
unsatisfied with Len Fenerman''s investigation, begins his own
investigation of Susie''s murder. This investigation leads Jack to
suspect George Harvey. However, police cannot arrest Harvey because
there is no evidence linking Harvey to Susie.
Susie follows her sister Lindsey''s life from heaven. Lindsey
experiences major life milestones witnessed vicariously by Susie. Susie
cannot herself grow up, but can have a basic understanding of the
process by watching her sister. She watches as Lindsey grows into a
strong young woman who also shares her father''s determination to find
Susie''s killer. Lindsey learns from Grandma Lynn the name of the man
her father believes killed Susie. Lindsey begins watching Harvey''s
house, committing his schedule to her memory, and waiting for her
opportunity. Family members are not the only people affected by Susie''s
death. Ray Singh, the first and only boy Susie kisses, is at first a
suspect. He is quickly ruled out by police, by remains haunted by the
memory of Susie''s death. Ruth Connors, an unpopular girl in Susie''s
class, is also impacted by Susie''s death. She is the last person
Susie touches as her spirit leaves Earth. As a result, Ruth becomes
obsessed with death and even begins seeing the dead on Earth. Ray and
Ruth become forever linked in their shared grief and understanding.
George Harvey, Susie''s killer, is also watched by Susie. In
heaven, Susie meets and learns the stories of all of his victims. She
sees Harvey hide her body, lie to her father and the police, and run
from the crimes he has committed. Susie wants to help the living
apprehend her killer, but can only watch as the police and her family
try to gather evidence and find her murderer.
Through the experiences of the Salmon family in The Lovely
Bones, readers can examine their own feelings and reactions to loss and
mourning. Can something good come from a horrible tragedy? Can healing
come from a place of tremendous violence and despair?
I recommend this book to all novel readers out there.
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