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| Purchase: Amazon | Chapters |
Published: 2004
Length: 352 pages
ISBN: 9780316168816
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Start date: Sometime in 2007
Finished date: Sometime in 2007
Where from: Chapters-Indigo
Why Read: Word of mouth & critical acclaim
Summary: After her murder, teenager Susie Salmon narrates the aftermath omniscently from heaven, including the coping of her family, her transition into the afterlife, the hunt for her killer, and insights on prior events in her life that connect with the present as it moves along without her.
Review:
There is an eerily beautiful quality to this novel that can either scare you or move you. I have heard that some people have not attempted to read this because the idea of a murder being described is too grisly & devastating to get through. It can make you grit your teeth with unease but it only lasts a short number of pages. The rest of the novel, told through the heaven-bound Susie Salmon (forever young at 14), doesn’t allow her eternal rest until she witnesses peace amongst her family—the unstable shakiness left by her death that is indescribably sad for her parents, sister, and boyfriend. The other half of the story involves her killer & how his creepy closeness to the family home leaves the reader hoping that the odds will soon pile up against him in bringing final justice.
Like I’ve mentioned before about Stephen King, Sebold proves that the popularity of a novel does not mean it cannot be a rich piece of literature as well. If you have hesitated to read this novel, I encourage you to take a deep breath & try it. The character of Susie will win you over, moving you to care deeply about the effect of her death on her family & the greater community, allowing her violent end to be passed over with peace.
Rank: (A+)- A must-read
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