Up the Creek Book Club
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© 2000 Kathy Craig |
Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
October 2002
Synopsis
"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." (Publisher)
Reviews
- "Sebold has given us a fantasy-fable of great authority, charm, and daring. She's a one-of-a-kind writer."
(Jonathan Franzen, author of 'The Corrections')
- "The Lovely Bones is one of the strangest experiences I have had as a reader in a long time, and one of the most memorable. Painfully funny, bracingly tough, terribly sad, it is a feat of imagination and a tribute to the healing power of grief." (Michael Chabon author of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay')
- "Set in a heaven as real and possible as the earth is mysterious and shifting, The Lovely Bones explores, with clear-eyed affection and wit, the romance of family life, the shy, funny turbulence of adolescence, and the painful tracks love and loss make through our world." (Amy Bloom author of 'A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You')
Book Club Rating and Comments
Everyone loved this book, even though it dealt with a difficult subject, the rape and murder of a young girl. The author did a wonderful job keeping in the voice of a fourteen year old girl throughout the book. It was a book that generated a lot of discussion. This is a definite keeper. If you or your book club has read this book and would like to share your comments, please email us at upthecreekbc@yahoo.com.
Other Books by Alice Sebold
- 'Lucky'