Publishing Date: 9/29/2009
Publisher: Little Brown and Co.
ISBN 13: 9780316666343
328 Pages
Synopsis
When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope.
In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life continuing without her - her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone.
And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it - except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.
With compassion, longing, and growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risk quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event.
My Review
I really enjoyed this book. I was unique story in that its told from by a 14-year-old girl that ha already died and gone to heaven. It was refreshing to read how she thought of everyone else's actions. She understands the struggles her family and friends go through this hard time, and she tries to reach out to them, letting them know she's still with them. It was really sad to watch her parents struggle with their marriage and separate for a while. Unfortunately, this is incredibly common with parents that lose young children. It happened in my family as well. However, these people learns to cope with the death of their daughter/sister/friend and move on with their lives. Truly a great story! I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading other novels by Alice Sebold.
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I might be too much of an emotional wuss to tackle this book. Did you watch the movie? I've thought about tackling The Lovely Bones more than once and your review makes me want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched to movie yet but now I really want to! I think you'll be ok reading it. I get emotional over books too and this one didn't affect me too much in that sense. I recommend reading it!
ReplyDeleteThis one has being in my "to read" list for a long time now but I haven't decided to read it yet. I think your review has encouraged me to finally give it a try :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely encourage you to read it! I'm not sure why I waited so long as it was sitting on my TBR pile for quite some time!
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