Susie Salmon thought her neighbor was a good man-a widower who loved children. This kind of a novel was written to warn people of the scary world that’s right at your doorstep.

That maybe you should pay attention to your children when that neighbor starts bringing her gifts, giving her constant attention, and even inviting her over. They’re meant to make you see that that kind next-door neighbor might not be so kind. They’re meant to open your eyes to the world around you.

Novels like this aren’t meant to give you a fuzzy feeling. And it ruins their fantasy world-their ignorant world where nothing bad happens, so we don’t have to talk about it. All I can think about is that these people didn’t give the novel a chance because the first chapter explains what happened to Susie. It is a reality that happens every single day. I am not one to condone unnecessary, narrated violence in books, but I just can’t seem to get over the people who say, “Don’t read this because the girl gets raped. Sebold explains in her novel how Susie was raped and murdered. In fact, it’s so hard to talk about, that people just plain don’t. Now, rape is not an easy thing to talk about, especially when it involves a child. I noticed that so, so many people hated this book because “it’s too gruesome.” They got to the second chapter and threw it out. But what’s life without some controversy? This is why I almost stopped myself from writing this review because it’s a controversial topic. There is something I need to get off my chest, though. I love to see characters grow, and Sebold did manage that well. It’s missing a believable tone, but it does center on character development. I think Sebold had a great plot in her mind but did not convey it very well. She also tries to give them clues so they can find her murderer-their next-door neighbor. She goes to heaven and watches over her family as they cope with their loss. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is the story of Susie Salmon, a teenage girl who is raped and murdered in 1973. If you’ve read the novel, then you will understand why. I have gone back and forth on whether or not to write this book review.

The lovely bones summary