The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold (book #2)

Wow. There was once a hollow place in my heart where the dead took pieces to create more caverns. These caverns are temporarily covered with a warm blanket that is The Lovely Bones.
The Lovely Bones is not for the faint of heart as it covers every woman’s worst nightmare of rape and unsolved murder in several small towns. I read this with both doors bolted and my daughter sleeping next to me. Throughout reading this, my husband would startle me, even when it was light out. The writing is very precise and realistic. You know that these crimes can happen anywhere to anyone from anyone – and has – and are still unsolved. I couldn’t believe it when my friend told me she had read it in high school.
The book is not a murder mystery like one Angela Lansbury would write, but a tale of a young girl, Susie, who is watching Her Earth from Her Heaven.
The book’s first line strikes a chord in your heart, “My name is Susie… I was fourteen when I was murdered… ” She goes on to tell the story of how she was lured into a dark place by a neighborhood gentleman who had been casually friendly with her parents. The entire ordeal made my skin crawl and I didn’t think I’d make it through the rest of the book, but I told myself I’d be left with this feeling if I didn’t keep going and find a resolution.
Her story goes on about how everyone has their own Heaven where they can watch and visit the people on their portion of Earth. Watching her family change and evolve after the tragedy.
It would be no fun if I told you the intimate details of her investigation or about her snapshots on Her Earth. But I will say it makes you think about the domino effect one death can have on your life. The nuances in your daily routine that change and become a part of your new life without that person. No matter how big or small the role. I didn’t think that’s where this book was going, couldn’t have predicted it. I commemorated an anniversary of a loved one’s death yesterday, and reading this today was, like I said, a warm blanket. Soup on a rainy day. It was definitely timely for me. Maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it a year or 3 ago when I wasn’t ready to hear finality. I’m glad I kept going and saw it through, I’ll carry Susie in my heart for a little while.

I give this book 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟