Paper-of-Many-Parts: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
by Aurora MacDougall

Summary Paragraph

The Lovely Bones is the story of Susie Salmon, a young girl whose life is taken away unfairly. Throughout the book, Susie watches her family and friends cope and overcome obstacles such as her parent’s dwindling marriage, the innocence of her younger brother, the depression of her first true love, and the search for her murderer. While watching her family and friends, Susie learns a lot about how her life had affected the lives of others and she learns what she would’ve done differently if she were still here on Earth.

Character Descriptions

Susie- patient, devoted, warmhearted, protective

Ruth- determined, observant, assertive, opinionated

Lindsay- aggressive, reserved, focused, daring

Mr. Harvey-disturbed, egocentric, cunning, lonely

Discussion/ Essay Questions

1.           While Susie is in heaven, she is given the opportunity to meet with Mr. Harvey’s other victims. What is the significance of this opportunity?

2.           The Lovely Bones teaches readers not to take advantage of the opportunities life gives to you. Do you think Alice Sebold is trying to imply something about our society and how we live? If so, what do you think she is trying to get across?

3.           Susie never really knew Ruth before she died but now she has a deep connection with her. What kind of influence do you think Susie has played on Ruth since the murder?

Key Passage- p. 320 as Susie watches her family

“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections – sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent – that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”

Key Passage Explanation

In this passage Susie learns not to dwell and pity on her family after she has gone. She realizes that the events that happened after her death had been “made at great cost, but [were] often magnificent” (320). The robbery of Susie’s life bore a new life to her family that Susie had never imagined possible. The events that happened after her death will build up to something new later on; they will “become whole at some unpredictable time in the future” (320). Susie accepts the fact that her family will move on and she starts to visualize their lives without her in it.

Recommendation

I would strongly recommend The Lovely Bones to readers looking for an uplifting book. The Lovely Bones is so uplifting because it teaches the reader that there is always a bright side to any given scenario. Things always happen for a reason. The reader will also learn the importance of families, just as Susie did. As Susie watches her family cope with this devastating loss, she realizes that the only thing holding them together is the love they have for one another. The book teaches readers that love is key to what holds people together in times of despair. For this reason alone, The Lovely Bones is important for readers of any gender or age to read.