Book Review: The Lovely Bones

Book Details
Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
2002, Back Bay Books

Book Summary (from the back cover):
"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not a t all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

My Review:
Weird and creepy. I think that's what I got from this book. I wanted to read this book because the movie looked intriguing, but I just don't think I'm up for these kinds of stories. I thought I'd branch out a little and read something out of the ordinary for me, but I think this is going to be the last of my branching out for awhile.

The Lovely Bones is a very sad tale of a girl who is murdered. She is looking down on her family from heaven - a very weird heaven that I'm not even sure I'd want to go to - and basically watching them disintegrate before her eyes. Over the next ten years, her siblings grow up, her mother leaves them and her fathers health fails. It's totally depressing. There is a little bit of redeeming quality at the end when things seem to work out a little bit, but even that's kinda weird.

I'm sure some people like this kind of story and I can see why it would get good reviews from them. It was well written, but it was just a little too morbid for me.

This is my honest opinion. The book came from my personal TBR pile and I was not compensated in any way for this review.