Today I'm going to start a new book called "The Lovely Bones." I'm sure you've all heard of the movie. My friends have told me it's a really good read so I thought I'd find out for myself. I haven't seen the movie yet so what's ahead is a complete mystery for me.
"The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold Pages 1-48
The book begins with a bit of narration for Susie Salmon, the main character. She talks about her death and reveals that she was murdered by her neighbor, Mr. Harvey, a man liked by both her parents. One day while she was walking home from school through some corn fields by her house, Mr. Harvey appears through the heavy snow and starts to talk to her. She says she is cold and wants to go inside but he insists that he show her a clubhouse he made for the kids in the neighborhood. She is quite intrigued by the underground cave and decides to check it out. She starts feeling uncomfortable, however, when Mr. Harvey begins to question her on her personal life, such as if she has a boyfriend. She tells him she has to go, but he tells her she can't and demands she takes her close off. She tries to put up a fight, but he over powers her. He rapes her, then takes a knife out and kills her.
The next chapter starts with Susie describing her heaven. She explains how each person has a different heaven based on what they want it to be but some parts over lap. Her intake counselor, Franny, tells her that she can make heaven into anything she wants it to be. Then it focuses back onto Susie's family, who has just found out about a dog who found Susie's elbow. They also give her a hat her mother knitted for her that Mr. Harvey used to gag her with. They believe she's been murdered because of all the blood they found.
Chapter three introduces a new character, Ruth. As Susie's soul was going up to heaven, it passed through Ruth, who remembers seeing a white blur in front of her in the cornfields. She starts to write poetry to express herself after this event. Then Susie sees her dad in his study building boats in a bottle, the thing they enjoyed doing together. But he can't do it without an assistant and he is so upset that he breaks all of his bottles, even the ones he made years ago with his father. Then he goes into Susie's bedroom and lays in her bed crying. Her brother, Buckley, goes into the room, too, and lays with his father.
This book is so good so far! The story is really sad but you want to keep reading it. It's sad what the family is going through, and Mr. Harvey is so messed up. You can't help but wonder what is wrong with him. As I was reading the scene with Susie's dad, I wanted him to stop breaking the bottles. Years from then I'm sure he would have loved to look back on those bottles and remember his father and Susie, but now they are all broken.
Goodnight, everyone.
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