The Lovely Bones is a compelling read entwined with honest and heartfelt accounts of life, loss, love, and letting go. Since 2002 the fresh, thrilling words of Alice Sebold have touched the hearts and souls of millions who have found clarity in her one-of-a-kind novel.

Sebold’s first book is based on the brutal rape, murder, and fascinating journey of an insightful adolescent. Susie Salmon is adjusting to her new life in heaven, which is quite an endeavor in itself. Meanwhile her family is torn between the painful memories of the past and the difficult journey of their future without her.

Susie narrates the story from heaven, which adds depth to this fascinating best-seller as she draws readers in with her deep, compelling thoughts and desires. Readers develop a bond with this girl as they feel what she feels and watch as she watches those left on earth, caught in the whirlwind of grief surrounding her loss.

This novel is full of interesting and thought-provoking characters. The story revolves around a grief-stricken father, who’s trying hard to love his two remaining children without forgetting his lost little girl, and a mother who is not so sure she ever intended to be a mother. And of course, readers encounter the unforgettably disturbing and raw Mr. Harvey, Susie’s murderer.

Readers will also be impressed with the author’s creative depiction of heaven and the seamless flow between the happenings there and on Earth. Mesmerizing and interesting, this book makes one feel as though she is sitting right there beside Susie in her beloved gazebo. The suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood where Susie lived is important to the setting as well. The novel is about all that is horrible and unknown that lurks beyond the perfect picket fence and closed front door: “Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone.”

This novel is most appropriate for mature young adults and those who have been (or have yet to be) exposed to heart-wrenching and life-changing loss. It is a tale of the truth and trials of family love. It is about dealing with death, and the important lessons we have to learn about life.

Readers will be blown away, likely unable to pry their eyes off the page as the vivid and compelling changes of Sebold’s characters and intense plot unfold. The importance of letting go, moving on, and seeing love will touch the hearts of all who take a peek at this world through the eyes of Susie Salmon.