The Lovely Bones.

The Lovely Boner...I mean, Bones.

Susie Salmon was 14 years on December 6, 1973, her last day on earth. While walking home in the cold, her neighbor Mr. Harvey tricks her into a fateful mistake. Susie is raped and killed, her body mutilated and stuffed inside a safe. While her life has ended, she has not lost the love for her family and friends and though she is trapped in the confines of her own little heaven, she watches them diligently as they struggle to continue their lives.

The book grabbed my interest, but I admit to being very unnerved by the first-person perspective and found it extremely difficult to read the graphic rape seen at the beginning. Her description of watching her body made me flinch several times and I was forced to put down the book about halfway through so I could take a break.

I believe that the first half of the book is very well written, though it is very intense and that the last half dragged, which was disappointing. In all honesty, I thought from the first page that this would be a four star review at least, maybe even five, yet I only gave it three.

Here's why: the ending frustrated me so much that I wanted to throw the book across the room. WHY, ALICE SEBOLD? WHY? I wish I could express my anger fully, but I'd love for anyone reading this to read it for yourselves and decide. Was the ending complete crap? Or was it genius? I lean towards the latter.

It's the big glaring flaw in an otherwise solid novel.
3 out of 5 stars.