Tolog Review: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
reviewed by Kaitlyn Hanes

In a book that begins with a heinous crime, horror, and sadness, one would not think it possible for the same book to end in undying love, beauty, and joy. However, in The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, this is exactly the path her novel takes. And with the incredible imagery, fantastic figurative language, and all around wonderful writing skill, a reader cannot help but be pulled into this once in a lifetime novel.

This book is centered on Susie Salmon, a young teenage girl from Pennsylvania. In the second line of the very first chapter, she says a line that sends chills into every reader: “I was 14 when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” Her murderer, a neighborhood friend, deceives their family, and her relatives, torn apart by tragedy, all fight internal battles that began with Susie’s death. Her father becomes weak and eventually ends up ill, her mother’s grief leads to poor choices and destructive decisions, her brother’s sadness forms a wall around his heart and a coldness in his mind, and her sister ends up maturing faster than any child should. As for Susie, she learns how to move on and accept her new “life” in Heaven.

This unconventional book, full of twists and turns, leaves the reader fixated on every word. The character development, language, and creativity in this book are totally unique and innovative, and anyone that is fortunate enough to have come across and read this book will tell you about how life changing and