Lovely Bones

Although this book looks like a thin book (about 300 pages thick only), it has actually managed to take me about 1 month to finish it.

This has proved that this book is quite a tough book to finish in spite of its thinness. Lovely Bones is not quite a thriller, it is more 'melodrama' than 'a thriller'. If it is more of a melodrama thriller, than it should be easy to finish. However, it was not for me.

The book is full of heavy inspection of details. From the crime-related details to the familial affairs. All the portrayed characters seem to be connected to Susie. They are equally fully fleshed out for our observation. It appears as if we, the readers, are in the company of Susie, to observe all the minute details that were observed by Susie. Interesting?

If it is not for that this book had been claimed as the breakout fiction of 2002/2003, I don't think I will be reading it.

If I recall, I had noticed a few couple of years back that this book was quite heavily featured in various bookstores in town. However, I did not pick it up as I thought this book might be a girl's book but more in a sombre serious literary tone.

After now that I have actually picked and read this book, I think the book is just ok in terms of a fiction. The creation of a rape-murder victim who stayed in her own preferred heaven is quite fresh. This book, in my opinion, has appealed to the masses is because of its closeness to the Christian faith. The death and the heaven.

It is also quite good that the book started off with the death of Susie, how she was murdered, and then gradually progressed into the melodrama of her family, on how they had coped with the Susie's death. The most captivating parts of the book have to be the invention of Susie's heaven, and portrait of Susie's family and friends after Susie's death. These of course bring us to the rape issue.

It seems that the author, Alice Sebold, likes to delve on the issue of rape. After her first memoir-ish book, Lucky, she might have intended to write another different kind of book revolving the same issue. I kind of have noted that it may be the author's early intention to write a novel about someone who can feel died people, particularly of rape-murder victims, and their sorrows. so that she could continue writing the same topic. However, the character who can feel died people, ala Sixth Sense, like Ruth, would not turn up as a good but a mediocre story. Hence, she might have quicky written a book about a departed soul instead. The fascination of a heaven is more relating, more Christian feel.

Anyways, I intentionally picked up this book to read. Since my sister has departed, I thought it would be more appropriate to read a death-related story, just to know how does it feel to other people. A lot of books has also touched this topic too, but not to this elaborate extent. The other book that I have read is Looking For Alaska. :)