The Lovely Bones

so last night i just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. i started it around 5pm yesterday afternoon and hammered through it around 3am this morning. i know a little overboard- sometimes sleep needs to be put on the back-burner for this incredible addiction.

this was my 2nd attempt at this specific book. the 1st time i tried to read it, i was a point in my life where i needed something fun and light as my work and life were nothing short of crazy, when the first few chapters discusses this young girls brutal demise, i had to close the book and leave it for another day.

when i started the book yesterday i knew what to expect Susie Salmon discussing her view of her horrendous rape and murder from her seat in heaven. as i continued reading the book i became fascinated by Sebolds direction with it. from the beginning to about half way through the story of finding this girl's killer is at the forefront, but other things are slowly brewing under the surface. Sebolds depiction of suburbia homes and trials and tribulations of marriage and love is so honest and deep. it makes the novel seem so real, as even without describing certain points in the novel, the reader clearly understand where the issues lie.

from the naive yet mature eyes of a 15 year old recounting the lives she watches over daily, her love and compassion for each person comes with the understanding of how the death of 1 person can touch, change and completely transform the individuals left behind. these stories are real, they are happening all over the world: 1 lost child = 100+ broken people left to pick up the pieces and make some understanding of who, what, where, when and why. it is a naivety we all live with- 'that wouldn't happen to me' - but it does and it can, and when something like that happens, there is no way to stop the ripples from turning into tidal waves on the fabrics of the 'ones that are left' lives.

great read- fascinating story of real life, relationships and the unknown.