I don’t really know where to begin with The Lovely Bones, given that Susie is murdered quite near the start of the book pretty much the whole thing is written from her point of view when she is dead and looking down at her family and friends. I found the concept of heaven in the book a very interesting one, I am in no way a religious person but the idea of everyone having their own version of heaven was a very nice idea that was explored without touching on religion.
Susie’s family and friends are explored in depth when Susie dies and the reader is taken on an emotional journey with them as they attempt to deal with their loss and drift apart all while Susie witnesses this from heaven. She sees her sister and brother grow up, fall in love and do all the things she never got the chance to do, the sense the Susie will always be stuck as a fourteen-year-old that has missed out of things is reiterated throughout the book.
Susie also follows her murderer from heaven and meets other girls and women he has murdered in heaven. It’s frustrating knowing that some members of Susie’s family know, or at least suspect who the murderer is. I found myself willing someone to catch him!
Given the dark subject matter of the novel, The Lovely Bones is actually a beautifully written and at times uplifting book. The ending was a particular favourite part of mine when the life not being finished with Susie part is revealed and I have to say it was quite a touching moment.
In all it’s hard to back into a review the lovely nature of the book, all I can say is if you haven’t read it yet you really should!
Rating: ★★★★★
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