I finally read
The Lovely Bones! I purchased the book about five years ago, and for whatever reason, never felt inspired to read it. I guess with the movie coming out I finally wanted to give it a go. I have to say that I was completely sucked into it in the beginning. I thought the writing was amazing. I thought the concept was unique. And while the circumstances of the people in the story are heart wrenching, I enjoyed reading it because it was so well written and the ideas were so thoughtful. In the end though, I was disappointed. I spent the whole book waiting for that "moment"...the climax, if you will, and it never happened. And in the end it was just kind of flat. I don't know what I wanted to happen in the end... some kind of revenge by the family of the girl who was murdered... another kill prevented... I don't know. But when I finished the book I kind of felt like "that was it?" My expectations for it were much too high. I did feel that the insights the main character, Susie, brought to the forefront were unique and thought provoking...from our idea of what is heaven, if one believes in heaven, to our relationships with others, how they are perceived by us versus them, and how we relate to our families and what our role in our individual family is defined. I'm just not sure it was all tied together as well I was hoping for that "big ta-da" I was looking for in the end. I guess I'll see the movie on this one because I don't think it can ruin the book for me. I think this book showed much more of how a family that is victimized deals with things and that made it unique as well and it was told from the unique perspective of someone after they have left the living. This was definitely a complex story... just not all tied together in the end.
This story was based, in part, on Alice Sebold's real life rape. Her story, and her talent as a writer, make me interested in reading more, perhaps in hopes of finding what was missing from
The Lovely Bones.
Suggested Reading List:
Lucky by Alice Sebold (non-fiction/biography/memoir)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (young adult fiction)
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (fiction)
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (young adult fiction)
