The Lovely Bones

"The Lovely Bones", a touching novel which a lot of people hold in high esteem, describes a 14-year-old girl, Susie, being raped and killed, watches from heaven her beloved family and friends. After she dies, the world continues without her such as the investigation of her, her family, and friends as well as all of the emotional turning points. Susie knows every detail of these and is eager to go back to her family, which is an impossible dream. The plot of the story is full of suspense. I rarely read suspense novels before; nevertheless, because of the clever arrangements of the story, I have gradually soaked myself in this novel. The circuitous story line is what makes me not leave my hands off it. For instance, whenever the police find the clues possibly necessary to solve the case, the killer escaped. The thought of “what music will the hateful murderer finally face?” greatly motivates me to keep reading it.

Susie’s death is a great shock for all the people around her. They react differently after they learn this heart-breaking news: the collapse of her father, her mother's escape from reality, her sister's bravery, the growth of her younger brother, her friends’ concern, and her grandmother's optimism. Each person misses Susie in his or her own way, but the murderer remains out of the law’s reach. At the end of the story, the case is still unsolved. The ending is not satisfying, but as I grow older and read this novel again, I have different feelings and understanding.

The most dominant theme I perceived from Susie’s story is the essence of life. Life is the gift to each mortal from God. We do not need to do much to enjoy life. However, many people try hard to pursue fame and wealth. Then, in the process of pursuing worldly things, they gradually forget to stop for a while to enjoy life itself, and sometimes, they may even get deadly hurt. For instance, Susie, because of curiosity, forgetting to protect herself and getting herself into trouble, becomes the victim of a homicide tragedy.

Another perspective derived from the main theme is that it is important to clearly realize the meaning of life and death, and especially, how to face death. For Susie's parents, one pretends to be calm, and the other tries to escape from reality, but none of them can actually let go the sorrow owing to Susie’s abrupt death. The important point we should learn is that death, in fact, is not the end but a new beginning in another form. The physical bodies of our loved one leave us forever, but the love and concern between them and us will last eternally. This perspective is lucidly depicted when Susie says "But this time I was accompanied, not ripped away, and I knew we were taking a long trip to a place very far away. A person's death is not gone from you, but for a way to accompany you, or in the same air, you still listen to the songs that you love, or to eat those foods you love, your love for him did not decrease.

In Chinese culture, the elders always teach children that the living people should bravely face their family’s death and learn to let go, then the souls of their dead family can go to another world without concerning about their worldly family. From this novel, we found that the soul of departed Susie also learns how to let go. Although she really yearns for returning to her loved ones, but little by little she understands the significance of detachment. She finds that the world still goes on well without her, as presented in “I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it.” This attitude of detachment is not easy but truly important for humans to learn to hold. Although the story does not end with a commonly expected outcome: the villain being severely punished and the good people living happily ever after, Susie's story teaches me how to say goodbye to the past and to move forward into the bright future.