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dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think this book could have been a lot shorter than it was. There was a lot of unnecessary storylines. The mother having an affair with the lead detective of Susie’s murder and that being the reason Mr. Harvey got away really bothered me. It was a weird way to do it. Then the mom just abandons her two living children for almost ten years and everyone is fine with it?? Not even the dead daughter was upset with her about it. No character work is done to repair the bonds broken by the mother leaving. She comes back and suddenly they’re a family again. It was lazy writing.
And there was the weird part where Susie possesses Ruth so she can have sex with Ray, even though Susie is still mentally fourteen and Ray and Ruth are adults now. And Ruth never consented.
And there was the weird part where Susie possesses Ruth so she can have sex with Ray, even though Susie is still mentally fourteen and Ray and Ruth are adults now. And Ruth never consented.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Murder
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Xenophobia
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Animal death
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Lovely, but so very sad. It was interesting to follow Susie's pov even if she was already dead when the story started. The people around her and her death were intensely interesting, and felt so very real. So human.
Must say that I was boiling over when Mr Harvey got away even after everyone knew it was him who'd killed Susie, and hurt so many more. I wish I could've strangled him, or that someone in the story would've done so. Alas. Sometimes there is no satisfying conclusion, no proper justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The begining is very disturbing, then it gets interesting, then it gets WTF??? The story starts stretching indefinitely, it becomes a bit hard to follow some events as the author takes her sweet time to continue some parts left suspended, and then close to the end some very nonsense things take place and I wondered "why put this in the story?". The whole thing with Susie and Ruth and Ray next to the end was just unnecessary and weird and it spoiled the book for me. What started off as a strong yet difficult topic to swallow became a nonsense by the end. I'm really frustrated by how things evolve in the last third of the book. What a shame...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I saw the movie years ago and remember it differently than the book. So some of the content was surprising to me. I’m undecided on how I feel about these differences. I think I liked the movie better than the book because the movie was more dramatic and had actual resolution. The book is satisfying in a different way, and in some ways, more realistic in that when people die, the rest of us still need to find a way to keep living.
I thought the writing was strong, but I’m conflicted on the story.
I thought the writing was strong, but I’m conflicted on the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. It's a beautiful story and I really liked the concept of the Inbetween. The story is filled with broken people but they didn't feel like caricatures. Each one of them had distinct and rich personalities. It was really bittersweet seeing them grow up and experience the things that Susie will never be able to do in human form.
UNTIL... The ending.What the fuck was that about? I really disliked how Sebold just HAD to give Susie that 'perfect' ending in human form, where Susie kind of possessed Ruth's body and then had sex with Ray? I'm all for fantasy and magical realism, we are reading about a ghost's thoughts after all, but romanticising this possession felt vulgar and weird. This could have been a 4 star read but meh, it felt weird after that.
Also, how did this book get published without a copyeditor because I found there were lots of weird phrases and spelling mistakes, e.g. using "reverted" instead of "riveted", and I had to re-read it to make sure I wasn't imagining things. You know, basic writing stuff.
UNTIL... The ending.
Also, how did this book get published without a copyeditor because I found there were lots of weird phrases and spelling mistakes, e.g. using "reverted" instead of "riveted", and I had to re-read it to make sure I wasn't imagining things. You know, basic writing stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Susie Salmon is tragically murdered as a teenager, but goes on to watch her family, and their grief and healing, from beyond the grave.
This one is the next installment in my “Project DNF” (a goal to finish all the books I’ve DNFed at other points in my life) and I’m really glad I picked it back up. 95% of this book was really beautiful and poignant, as well as really sad. I thought it was touching if a bit morose, and found myself really invested in the characters. In particular, I enjoyed seeing how the ripple effects of a death like this can impact so many people involved, even beyond immediate family members and close friends.
That said, I felt like the last few chapters represented a dramatic shift in tone and substance, and I really did not like the note the book ended on. It felt like we were building towards a certain type of story for the bulk of the novel, only to be thrown some weird curveballs at the end. This is, in large part, a book about closure—but unfortunately, it offers very little of that to the reader.
If you can handle really sad stories and want to read an interesting reflection on grief, this might be for you, but I truly wish it had gone a different way at the end.
CW: Death/child death; sexual assault/rape; violence; grief; infidelity
Susie Salmon is tragically murdered as a teenager, but goes on to watch her family, and their grief and healing, from beyond the grave.
This one is the next installment in my “Project DNF” (a goal to finish all the books I’ve DNFed at other points in my life) and I’m really glad I picked it back up. 95% of this book was really beautiful and poignant, as well as really sad. I thought it was touching if a bit morose, and found myself really invested in the characters. In particular, I enjoyed seeing how the ripple effects of a death like this can impact so many people involved, even beyond immediate family members and close friends.
That said, I felt like the last few chapters represented a dramatic shift in tone and substance, and I really did not like the note the book ended on. It felt like we were building towards a certain type of story for the bulk of the novel, only to be thrown some weird curveballs at the end. This is, in large part, a book about closure—but unfortunately, it offers very little of that to the reader.
If you can handle really sad stories and want to read an interesting reflection on grief, this might be for you, but I truly wish it had gone a different way at the end.
CW: Death/child death; sexual assault/rape; violence; grief; infidelity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The only part I didn't like so much was her coming back to life to have sex. Like I get it I don't wanna die a virgin either but there's more life to live other than sex! I loved everything else though. No complaints!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Dementia