OUTSIDE READING #7

In between cooking holiday dishes, wrapping presents and opening presents I didn’t have much time to read. But even with my busy schedule I managed to finish The Lovely Bones. I was so enthusiastic about finishing that I snuck away from my family and read the last few chapters. I don’t regret hiding from family for a few hours at all because the ending was phenomenal! I won’t spoil the conclusion for any readers, but I will say it is not how I would have expected it to be. It is definitely not like most endings. Unlike one final event to close the story, Alice Sebold slowly comes to an end by expressing a few final events that let the reader better understand the character’s lives and ultimately, I think, end the story more successfully.
One passage I thought wrapped up the book is spoken by Susie a few pages before the actually ending of the book. Susie is watching her family, from “her heaven”, while they drink champagne and celebrate Lindsey (Susie’s sister) and Sam’s (Lindsey steady boyfriend since Susie’s death) engagement.

“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the
connections—sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great costs, 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.” (320)

Susie, while watching her family, realizes that her death, while a bug part of her family’s life, is not the only drastic event that occupies all their attention and emotions. To me this passage is the ending of Susie’s story and the beginning of her family’s.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves a good mix of mystery, romance, suspense and horror in the books they read. The story, at some points can be a bit strange and hard to relate to but overall the book is awesome—a must read.

OUTSIDE READING #6

“Imagine being stabbed.” Someone said.
“No Thanks.”
“I think it’s
cool.”
“Think of it—she’s famous.”
“Some way to get famous. I’d rather win
the Noble Prize.”
“Does anyone know what she wanted to be?”
“I dare you to
ask Lindsey.”
And they listed the dead they knew.
Grandmother,
grandfather, uncle, aunt, some had a parent, rarer was a sister or brother lost
young to an illness –a heart irregularity—leukemia—an unpronounceable disease.
No one knew anyone who had been murdered. But now they knew me.

This conversation arouse in the book when Lindsey, Susie’s sister, was at camp for the first time since Susie’s murder. Lindsey was not there when the topic came up; it was some kids from camp who had been planning the perfect murder for the competition they host for the parents every year on the last day of camp. Usually the competition is based on how to make the perfect mouse trap. But this year the competition had changed and Lindsey could feel the eyes of the other campers upon her when the challenge was announced.
This passage was very interesting to me. I found it so surprising that, in the book, Susie could become “famous” just by how gruesomely she had been murdered. But then I thought about it harder and realized it happens a lot—people become famous for something that happens to them, not for what they do or accomplish. The sad fact is that Susie probably wouldn’t have been remembered, except by her family, if she had just died of some “unpronounceable disease”. But because of the lack of evidence in her case and the surplus of rumors, her death has become this tragic story that everyone in the community, and by everyone I mean EVERYONE, is aware of.

OUTSIDE READING #5

The Lovely Bones keeps getting better and BETTER! While the story of Susie’s murder stays unsolved, I am able to understand more and more about Susie’s family and their influence on her story. One character that has been greatly defined in the novel by his views on Susie’s death is Buckley, Susie’s younger brother. Buckley is very young and doesn’t fully understand the concept of death but even though his understanding is some what blurry he still adds an interesting perspective. Buckley doesn’t even think his sister is dead, as he explains to his friend Nate, “She was gone for a while, but now she’s back” (91). In the novel Buckley’s idea of Susie’s death is explained, “Where do you think imaginary friends come from?” (91)


Also in the section I read this week a new character has been introduced; Susie’s grandma. Susie’s grandma may be in the book for only a short section but her influence on Susie’s family is huge! She comes to the Salmon’s house for Susie’s memorial service and suddenly everyone in the house feels a little bit better. Her free spirit and straight-forward manner makes the family express their true emotions instead of hiding them. This is a big leap from the few hushed discussion the family had about Susie and her death.


Finally in this week’s section of reading my favorite quote, so far, is expressed. It is about a woman that used to life in Susie’s neighborhood but died; the woman was the only person Susie knew that had died:

“My mother would sit her down in the kitchen and make tea for the two of them,
and after she calmed her she would call her son’s house to tell them where she
was. Sometimes no one was home and Mrs. Utemeyer would sit at our kitchen table
and stare into the centerpiece for hours. She would be there when we came home
from school. Sitting. She smiled at us. Often she called Lindsey ‘Natalie’ and
reach out to touch her hair…I wasn’t very surprised when I first saw Mrs. Bethel
Utemeyer in my heaven, nor was I shocked when Holly and I found her waling hand
in hand with a small blond girl she introduced as her daughter Natalie.”
(104-105)

I find this story of a Mrs. Utemeyer very beautiful, sad but beautiful.

OUTSIDE READING #4

Last week I discussed an interesting topic that arose while I was reading The Lovely Bones so I was unable to update you on what has been happening in the book. Since I last spoke to you about the content of the novel two very important events have occurred.
The first key event is when Susie’s father goes on a walk through the neighborhood and runs into Mr. Harvey, Susie’s murder. To Susie’s dad Mr. Harvey is a lonely, innocent man who has lost his wife. But after getting a sign, which he believes is from Susie who is in heaven watching them, Susie’s dad looks at Mr. Harvey in a new perspective. As he does this he wonders if it possible Mr. Harvey killed Susie. He ponders this thought. After leaving Mr. Harvey behind Susie’s dad wonders more and more about this strange character that lives only a few feet away from where part of Susie’s dead body has been found.
Another very important incident is when Lindsey, Susie’s sister, is given a gift from a boy she finds very cute. This event may seem irrelevant to the book’s plot but it is actually very important. When Lindsey is given the gift on Christmas day by Samuel Heckler she is able to feel emotions that had disappeared after Susie’s death. It is a turning point in Lindsey’s life. She realizes that even through life may never be the same as it was before Susie died, life can still go on and she can actually enjoy it. Lindsey is the first character to feel truly happy emotions after Susie’s death. This event is foreshadowing the future for Susie’s family; they will eventually be able to overcome this horrific event in their life.

OUTSIDE READING #3

The Lovely Bones can be hard for me to relate to because I have never lost someone so close to me before. Susie’s family has to go through life, never truly understanding the reason for her death. They are always wondering if they could have done something to change Susie’s sad outcome. I never have had to deal with that kind of wondering.
The thing that keeps me reading and turning the pages is the author’s descriptions of the characters’ emotions—you can begin to comprehend and feel the pain and sorrow Susie’s family feels after her unexpected and unsolved murder. By the 100th page I could really see the differences in reactions from each character when it came to Susie’s death. Each family member has their own way of dealing with her death.
The author’s explanation on how Susie’s peers reacted to the news of her death, I thought, was interesting;

“…The story of my death began to travel through the halls of the school, receiving add-on nuances as all good horror stories do. They were hard-pressed to make the horror any more horrible than it was. But the details were still missing, the what and where and who became hollow bowls to fill with their conjectures. Devil. Worship. Midnight…” (38)

I thought the reaction from Susie’s classmates about her death was an interesting interpretation to the reactions many people have after they hear someone has died. They don’t know what the right thing to do is, so instead they do the wrong thing. In The Lovely Bones, the ‘right’ thing would be to comfort Susie’s family in their time of loss. But instead the young students do the ‘wrong’ thing; spread lies about Susie’s murder. In their attempts of grieving they ultimately end up blaming someone that isn’t to blame, Ray Singh. Ray Singh may be able to avoid the police’s questioning because of his air tight alibi. But he would never be able to avoid the accusing glances from his classmates no matter how innocent he may be. In real life people do the same thing. They, because of their bad judgment, end up making false stories to please themselves; not even thinking about who they may be hurting in the process.

OUTSIDE READING #2

This week I managed to read the first 47 pages of my book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. So far, the book has been quite sorrowful and gruesome. The main character, Susie Salmon, is recognized in the first couple of pages. After her personality, family, friends and daily routine has been established, she begins telling the sad story of her death. While Susie is telling the tale of her life before death, she is also describing her life after death, in heaven. As she begins to understand her new life in heaven, she is also beginning to see how the death of a loved one can affect a person in weird ways. Susie begins to understand that heaven may be the ideal place, but the one thing she desires most is the one thing she can’t have; life. She would give anything to be able to comfort her family, tell the truth about her death and stop all the dumb lies about that horrible, terrible, cold night.

The book has been very good, so far. Its different from any book I have ever read before because of the combined description of the character’s life before death and after. I am very excited to read more.

For my next week of reading I predict that, as Susie’s family gets more pessimistic about her safe return home, she will try to give signs to her family members below. She will try to send them hints to how she got murdered and who her murderer is. But since heaven has certain ‘limitations’ and ‘rules’ about such things as conversing with the living, Susie will somehow get in trouble .

OUTSIDE READING #1

For this month’s outside reading assignment I have chosen the book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I have not started the book yet but from what I have read from the back cover, it seems to be a very promising read. The book is centered on a young girl by the name of Susie Salmon, who has been murdered at the age of 14. While Susie is adjusting to her new life in heaven, she must also come to terms with her death and the friends and family she has left behind.

I chose The Lovely Bones for a couple of reasons. One reason was because my mom, while we stood in the bookstore sifting through stacks of novels, told me it was supposed to be a good book. She has not read it yet but the women in her book club have recommended the book many tines. Another reason I chose this book was because right on the cover it says, “#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER,” which always is a good indicator of the book’s quality. Finally, what made me buy The Lovely Bones instead of another book, was because of its cover. I like the cover! Its bright with big, bold lettering and has a pretty picture of a charm bracelet.

I look forward to writing about this book and its content next week! Bye.