aliciagw 's review for:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This is the story of Susie Salman, a teenage girl who is murdered.  She moves on to heaven and observes her family from afar for some time because she is not ready to move on.  It is the story of her family trying to come to terms with Susie's death, as well as Susie trying to come to terms with it.  The book shows how the different members of her family and her friends grieve, each in their own way.  It is a sad story, but moving, and I felt it was quite good.

I see it often listed in the genre of crime or mystery.  I would say if you are a fan of crime or mystery novels, that may not be a good characterization of the book.  Yes, there is a crime element to the story, but that really isn't the main part of it, and if you are looking for a whodunnit with a satisfying concise ending, you might not find it here.