the lovely bones Questions & Answers

The novel is narrated by Susie Salmon, a fourteen-year-old girl who has been murdered. From her unique heaven, she watches her family and friends cope with her death, while also observing her killer, George Harvey, and his continued presence in their community. The story explores grief, loss, justice, and the enduring power of love and connection, even beyond death.

Susie Salmon is the protagonist and narrator. She is a fourteen-year-old girl living in suburban Pennsylvania in 1973. On her way home from school, she is lured into a cornfield by her neighbor, George Harvey, who rapes and murders her. Her spirit then ascends to her personalized heaven, from which she observes the earthly world.

The title refers to the connections and relationships that form and strengthen among Susie's family and friends in the wake of her death. Susie explains that these "lovely bones" are the bonds of love, grief, and shared experience that grow around her absence, creating a new, albeit painful, structure for those left behind.

Susie's heaven is not a universal paradise but a personalized realm of her own design, reflecting her desires and what she missed in life. It's a place where she can have whatever she wishes, like a beautiful garden or her favorite things. However, it's also a place of "endless watching," where she can see and feel her family's pain and struggles, making it bittersweet.

George Harvey is Susie's neighbor and her murderer. He is a serial killer who has killed other girls before Susie. His role is that of the antagonist, a chillingly ordinary man who commits horrific acts. Susie watches him from heaven, hoping for his capture and justice, while he continues to evade suspicion for a long time.

Susie's family copes in different ways. Her father, Jack, becomes obsessed with finding her killer and justice. Her mother, Abigail, initially withdraws and later has an affair and leaves the family for a time. Her sister, Lindsey, becomes determined and resourceful, eventually breaking into Harvey's house. Her brother, Buckley, struggles with the loss of his older sister.

Ruth Connors is a classmate of Susie's who, on the day of Susie's murder, had a brief, almost supernatural encounter with Susie's spirit. This experience leaves Ruth with a unique sensitivity to the spiritual world and a connection to Susie. Later, Susie's spirit briefly inhabits Ruth's body, allowing her to experience intimacy and closure.

Spoiler: George Harvey eventually dies years after Susie's murder. While attempting to lure another young woman, he is struck by a falling icicle from a cliff edge, causing him to lose his balance and fall into a deep ravine, where he dies. His death is portrayed as a form of cosmic justice, rather than a human one, bringing Susie a sense of peace.

The keystone charm is a piece of jewelry Susie wore, which George Harvey kept after her murder. It becomes a crucial piece of evidence that Susie's father finds, leading him to suspect Harvey. It symbolizes Susie's presence and the tangible link between her and her killer, fueling the family's search for truth and justice.

Susie achieves peace and closure gradually. It comes from seeing her family heal, her sister Lindsey finding love, and her brother Buckley growing up. Ultimately, it's when George Harvey dies and her spirit briefly inhabits Ruth's body to experience a kiss and intimacy, allowing her to let go and fully move on from her heaven.

Key themes include grief and loss, the search for justice, the enduring power of love and family bonds, the nature of heaven and the afterlife, the innocence of childhood shattered by violence, and the process of healing. The novel also delves into the psychological impact of trauma on individuals and a community, and the struggle to find meaning after tragedy.

Alice Sebold uses Susie's deceased narrator perspective to provide an omniscient, yet deeply personal, view of events. Susie can observe both her family's struggles and her killer's actions, offering insights into their thoughts and feelings that a living character couldn't. This unique viewpoint allows for a broader exploration of the aftermath of tragedy and the enduring nature of connection.

Ray Singh is Susie's first crush and her first kiss. He remains a significant figure in her afterlife, as he continues to remember and mourn her. He later forms a connection with Ruth Connors, and through Ruth, Susie is able to experience a final, longed-for kiss with Ray, symbolizing a moment of earthly connection and closure for Susie's spirit.

Lindsey Salmon, Susie's younger sister, is instrumental in the pursuit of justice. Driven by a fierce determination, she breaks into George Harvey's house, finds evidence of his crimes (including a drawing of the cornfield where Susie was murdered), and narrowly escapes. Her bravery directly leads to the police focusing their investigation on Harvey and solidifying their suspicions.

The sinkhole is where George Harvey disposes of Susie's body parts. It symbolizes the hidden, dark places where evil can hide and the earth's capacity to consume and conceal. It also represents the ultimate unknowability and unrecoverability of Susie's physical remains, adding to her family's grief and the difficulty of finding complete closure.

The novel portrays heaven not as a fixed, religious paradise, but as a personalized, evolving space shaped by the individual's desires and memories. For Susie, it's initially a place of longing and observation, allowing her to witness life on Earth. Over time, as she processes her death and sees her loved ones heal, her heaven expands and she finds peace.

Susie's death devastates her parents' marriage. Jack becomes consumed by grief and the search for justice, while Abigail retreats emotionally, eventually having an affair and leaving the family. Their inability to grieve together or support each other through the trauma leads to a significant rift and separation, highlighting the destructive power of unresolved loss on relationships.

The novel explores "letting go" from multiple perspectives. Susie must eventually let go of her earthly attachments and her longing to return. Her family must let go of their intense grief and the hope of finding Susie alive, learning to live with her absence. It's a painful but necessary process for both the living and the dead to find peace and move forward.

Detective Len Fenerman is the lead detective investigating Susie's disappearance and murder. He is dedicated but initially struggles to find concrete evidence against George Harvey, despite his suspicions. He forms a close, complicated relationship with Abigail Salmon, Susie's mother, which adds another layer to the family's struggle and the investigation's challenges.

The ultimate message is that love and connection transcend death. Even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, the bonds of family and friendship endure, shaping the lives of those left behind and even influencing the afterlife. It's a story about finding hope and healing, not primarily through revenge, but through acceptance, remembrance, and the continuation of life.