When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven.
As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells
us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old
girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope. In
the weeks following her death, Susie watches life on Earth
continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors
about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that
she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks.
As
months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents'
marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening
herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little
brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone. And
she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like
her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets.
There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends
to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon
as she thinks of it-except the thing she most wants: to be
back with the people she loved on Earth.
With compassion,
longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved
ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father
embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister
undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie
cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of
a miraculous event.
The Lovely Bones is luminous and
astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most
hopeful of stories. In the hands of a brilliant new
writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is
transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about
love, memory, joy, heaven, and healing.
Our Past Week of Fresh Picks
|
© 2003-2026