The Lovely Bones Review

Intro

The violent death of a loved one changes you in several ways. I, fortunately, haven’t had to go through that, so my ability to understand is limited. However, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold tries, and I think it succeeds, in helping me understand the pain, horror, and sadness that comes from having a child murdered from the perspective of the murdered child.

Writing

The Lovely Bones is fascinating in its execution. A story narrative by a dead girl as she watches her family struggle and change due to her death could be very interesting or boring. Fortunately, Alice Sebold decided to take the former option. The Lovely Bones is a story about the harrowing parental nightmare of knowing your child is dead, with justice always out of reach. Each member of the Salmon Family treats the death of Susie in a slightly different way; some lash out at anyone slightly suspicious, others have an affair, and some simply shut down. It’s a profoundly human story that everyone can, on some level, relate to.

I find The Lovely Bones fascinating in depicting Heaven; it is a secular heaven, utterly void of any judgment of hell. We don’t know if the killer will go to hell, even after he meets a fittingly unglamorous and undignified end. I think Alice Sebold wanted to show that there is hope for those who have lost kids, friends, or family and that there is always heaven for them. And even if the killer isn’t properly prosecuted, they will not live a glamorous life and often will die in a fittingly anticlimactic way. It’s what he would deserve.

Conclusion

The Lovely Bones is equal parts sad, haunting, and hopeful. It is a glimpse into a horrific scenario and the fallout in a humane manner. Alice Sebold understands the human condition and how suffering shapes us for the better or worse.

Acknowledgments

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