Tolog Review: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
reviewed by Soraya Cordero

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold shows the relationship between the living and the dead. Unfortunately for Susie Salmon, she is the one dead. She is raped and killed by Mr. Harvey her neighbor. She looks at and guides her family on Earth from her heaven. Her heaven does not consist of bunny rabbits and rainbows; instead it is a very peaceful place where she is stuck in for a purpose she discovers through time. She has a roommate in heaven whom she befriends, which symbolizes that, even when you die, you still experience love. When she dies, it is an emotional catastrophe for her family. When her family discovers she is dead it breaks their hearts making it seem like it is impossible to move on. 

Her death not only affects her family, but also the people she touched in her life. This includes the boy who loved her, Ray, and the girl she haunts, Ruth. Her dying allows Ray and Ruth to become friends and start a relationship that would never have happened had Susie not die. Also, had Susie not died, then Samuel would never have been able to comfort Lindsey, Susie’s sister, in her time of distress and end up falling in deep love with her.

This novel tackles all types of relationships. The author embraces the thrill and pureness of new love in Lindsey and Samuel. She also portrays the relationship between Ray and Ruth, a true and sophisticated love that only develops after the loss of a lover. Even though the love may not be as unexplored and new as the first, it is still exciting and adventurous. The novel also explores the relationship between the love of two parents for their child and how hard it is when they lose that child. Lastly, this book depicts the love between true friends through Nate and Buckley.

Significantly, Alice Sebold’s novel depicts death in a way never imagined before. It combines the concept of a heaven-like state that is in many ways lonely and yearning for the world below. It is a sad existence that longs for life and whose ability to transcend itself depends on the state of those left behind. As such, there is a sadness and emptiness to death never explored before. The author gives us a unique view of death and the afterlife which tugs at your heartstrings and which creates a bridge to the living never before contemplated.

The Lovely Bones is a heartwarming, emotional roller coaster. Once you pick it up, you will not want to put it down until you are finished. The story expresses the idea that everything happens for a reason, and when something bad happens, something good is sure to come out of it eventually. Everything about this book gives you a sense of gratitude for your life and how hard it is to move on from a traumatizing situation. It explores a series of relationships and how they learn to survive and strive as a result of Susie’s death. The imagery that Alice Sebold describes is truly unforgettable and makes it seem as if you are living life through Susie’s eyes. The horrid situation that she describes is so terrifying that it can be disturbing for some readers, yet it doesn’t sugar coat the situation but instead, tells the honest, sad truth about life and death.