The Lovely Bones

You know I get it, McGrath, I do understand why you hated Alice Sebold's masterpiece The Lovely Bones. Most of my reviews don't personally go after another review but this time I just had to take exception. In the one star review entitled "What they read in hell?" I would like to counter argue each point he makes with a valid point of my own. I believe that most great novels in the world are either loved or hated. Most of the in between novels are just forgotten...and everyone knows the novels that just plain suck. It's the books that trigger fierce debate, such as masterpieces like Uncle Tom Cabin, Of Mice and Men or The Lord of the Flies and numerous others. Depending on your own personal beliefs, The Lovely Bones is such a novel. I believe over time it will endure and become another classic in modern American literature.

The first thing McGrath says in his review is: the book is sentimental and unoriginal. He needs to keep in mind that this is told from the point of view of a young teen girl that has just been murdered. Of course she is going to miss her family and many memories are going to be shared. This book at times is dark and brutal and at other times light and optimistic. It takes us through whole gauntlet of emotions. Be warned, this book will drain you. This completely original character has just gone through puberty where emotions run high in adolescents. She was killed in a traumatic way which only adds to her pain inside. Despite her pain, this is not a character that asks for our pity or wants it. She is likeable, interesting and complex. I found this book remarkably straight forward and unsentimental at times. I don't think it's possible for you to put yourself in the mind of a 14 year old but somehow I really felt as if I knew her by the end and she became very real for me.

McGrath makes another joke about how smart all the characters all are, the teen ones anyway. One of the aspects of this book is that it's trying to make us understand that sometimes children with their innocence and lack of cynicism can be more brave and smart at times than even adults can be.
He complained about the murderer being cold, lonely and single. Duh. I think a lot of pedophiles are that way and I felt the savage evil beast he was just as vividly as any villain I have ever encountered. While his death might be a bit unrealistic, this is a fantasy reality story narrated by a dead girl in heaven. The readers deserved a just end for him after all his horrendous acts, but the author cleverly gave us and ending for him we didn't expect. This book is not for everybody, of course, but I thought the fantasy elements in the novel were melancholy and stunning, mixing horrific everyday life tragedy with t spiritually sublime elements of the afterlife with ease and power.

McGrath states that the police are very diligent but just can't seem to figure out what is going on with the investigation. First off, how intelligent are the detectives when a father's instinct turns out to be correct and during the most pivotal moment in the investigation the detective commits a despicable act which lets the murderer walk free because of his absence. The reader needs to keep in mind the time line of the story when they read this book. This story took place in the 70's. There was no CSI back then on the murder scene to investigate the forensic evidence found. Back then without cold hard proof you had nothing. A story like this would not be realistic thirty years later in today's world. And besides, the detective was an unfocused character and ultimately a failure. That is part of Sebold's story. Does McGrath think that every missing girl murder back in the 70's was solved? I'm eerily sure that there were cases pretty much just like this back then that didn't get solved either. I didn't find the investigation unrealistic at all, even though the core of this book is really about the unraveling of Susie's family in the wake of the murder. Also, the narrator is a voyeur, so in hindsight everything seems obvious to us because we are told the tale by the all knowing.

Finally, and this is not McGraths complaint but it is the novels most mentioned and controversial point. In her brief moments on earth, Susie Salmon chooses to have sex with her crush rather than do something important. Many people wonder why a girl that has been assaulted would even think about something like that with her precious moments left. This is only my opinion on why it works but I can understand some skepticism about it. This is a very unusual scene that bothered me at first but the more I thought about it, the more I realized why it was there and that it needed to be. Through the whole ordeal, Susie had been looking down on her family. She saw her mother's adultery. Her sister's loss of virginity. And Susie herself had sex in the cruelest way possible. I think part of her wanted redemption from that act, so she wouldn't always view that act with such sadness and disgust. I can understand why in all her pain she would want a brief moment of pleasure. She saw her mother do it and her sister too. Why didn't she go warn someone? Well, let's be realistic, most people would think she was crazy if she did that and in the end it might scare and hurt her family more than comfort them. Her father had already gotten in trouble previously for making accusations. And why didn't she help someone discover the evidence she needed to convict her killer? Because I think if you were raped you wouldn't want to return to the lair it happened and risk running into your murderer again and then possibly getting your friend raped and murdered in the process because it wasn't your own body you were using. That's why she didn't go back. Instead, she had a selfish moment for herself...and didn't she deserve it? Shouldn't we just be happy she got to experience some final moment joy, instead of a probable failure she might have caused had she went to the authorities or her family? Susie was smart and she had thought out all the consequences carefully in her mind before she made this decision.

If McGrath ever does end up reading my counter argument, I hope he knows I mean no hard feelings by it. It's just one persons opinion against another's. This book is one of the best novels ever written; sure to make my top ten list. It's that good. To anyone reading this review, I encourage you to buy this book and form your own opinion on it..The Lovely Bones is certain to either leave you feeling terrible like McGrath or spellbound and overcome with emotion like I was.

Grade: A

This is a beautiful, thought provoking story. The first few pages depict a young girl's brutal rape and murder, so this can be overwhelming for some readers. As a mother, I found it hard to read, but the character stays "alive" since the story is told from her perspective in heaven. It actually turns out to be very reassuring because she is still able to see and influence her loved ones. The best part of this book for me was the author's imagined heaven, which made for an interesting conversation starter. Great book club choice.

I'm kind of torn becuase I hate rating books below a 4. But this book wasn't as good as I was anticipating given how popular it is. I was sucked in at first but that wore off by the time I got to page 40. I almost quite reading becuase it was hard for me to have straight writing and no dialogue between characters. There were so many times and chapters in this book when it was just Susie watching earth and recalling past memories. And there were parts where I was totally into the story and then it would switch to being boring again. I thought the author's writing style was good and she is a good writer. I just didn't love the book. It could have been a little bit more engaging.

After I finished "Lovely Bones" I recommended it to everyone I knew. The story is so unique - horribly horribly tragic in one sense, yet completely uplifting on a whole other level. I absolutely loved this book. I cannot fathom losing a child, but Ms. Sebold's depiction of heaven puts forth an idea of comfort to a grieving family that is palpable and real.

"The Lovely Bones" is a creative, complex book deftly handled by Alice Sebold. Already a Sebold fan from her memoir "Lucky" she didn't disappoint me with Susie's story. It examines the impact a rape and murder of a young girl has on her family as the years go on after this horrible event. It's not pretty. It sends each member into a long, horrible tailspin. Will any of them recover? Is this time on earth all we have? Does love transcend death? Susie Salmon (like the fish) is an intriguing, multi-dimensional look at life, death and what goes on beyond the two. The first person account makes the story even more personal and intimate. The re-release of the book ties in with next month's movie directed by Peter Jackson (Rings Trilogy). If you have enjoyed Lisa See's bookPeony in Love: A Novel this one is a must read.