Play Book Tag discussion

I first read this book about seventeen years ago when my ten year old granddaughter wanted to read it. I am totally against book censorship, but wanted to see if the subject was handled in a way that might cause questions or anxiety that could be addressed prior to/during the read.

The Lovely Bones is narrated by someone who's dead. Not only dead but murdered at the age of 14. Susie Salmon is in heaven, observing her family, friends and community as they deal with her loss.

We know from the first chapter who the killer is. Susie knows too and observes him from above. She witnesses her family as they fall apart. Her sister withdraws inside herself. Her father becomes obsessed with finding her killer. Her mother runs away. Her brother was only four at the time, so he really doesn’t understand what is going on. Susie was on the verge of first love with Ray Singh when she was killed. She also has a friend named Ruth, who plays a greater role in Susie's life after it's over than during it.

Susie is our guide through the maze of grief and dysfunction that follows her brutal death. Her dispassionate, observant young voice and poignant 14-year-old view of life show a portrayal of grief that is both moving and profound. There are thousands of dead girls, like Susie, whose cases are never solved and the author has written a world in which Susie, denied her own existence, still has a voice.

I thought the book was mesmerizing and my granddaughter was encouraged to think that dogs were running around in heaven. It gave me a good opportunity to discuss ways she could keep herself safe from abduction. I don't know how anyone could have handled the subject better than Sebold did. She was able to tell Susie's story with her being the main character, instead of just a victim that every other character references.