Index Susie's Story: Looking Down From HeavenRecommended? Yes! Final thoughts I like to let books choose me, instead of me choosing them. So when Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones came out in 2002 and people couldn't stand it, I tried to ignore everyone who told me, "You absolutely have to read this book!" About a year later, I picked up a copy at my family's used bookstore. I brought the hardcover book home without the dust jacket, but I still didn't feel like the book was ready to read. A week ago I walked past my bookshelf, ready for something new to read, and this blue book seemed to be calling my name. It was time to take it back. And once Susie Salmon's story began, there was no putting this book down. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Susie's Story: Looking down from the sky Susie begins to tell her story from the sky and has no secrets from her readers. Instead, it tells her harrowing story and chronicles her life before her death, the details of her murder, and what happens to her devastated family after her murder, unfolded before the reader's eyes. Along with Susie, the reader floats with her between the life she left on earth and her new life in her paradise. At fourteen, Susie was far from ready to leave her life behind. After his murder, she is constantly worried about her father, mother, sister, brother, and even her dog from the sky. He can't leave them behind, so he watches them every day. But Susie isn't just worried about her family. He worries if his killer will attack someone else. She is desperate to help her family and Detective Len find out about the neighbor who killed her. Susie also misses Ray, a boy who had a crush on her. And then there's Ruth, a strange girl who Susie didn't really know when she lived but who she connected with briefly when her soul collided with Ruth after her death. In turn, Ruth holds on to Susie's death, and the two share a strange bond until Susie and Ruth finally find peace. Advised? Yes! I have only touched the surface of this novel. There is much more to discover. Alice Sebold does a great job of not only developing Susie, but all of the other characters as well. Because Susie can read the thoughts of everyone she observes on earth, the reader can play into the mind of her killer, Lindsey (her younger sister), her mother, her father, and the list goes on. Flashbacks also play an important role in character development. Not only does the reader get sucked into the pain of Susie's death and the aftermath, but Susie also mixes in some stories about the good times she had on earth with her family and the beginning of her middle school romance with Ray. These happy stories made the story very bittersweet. Susie's little piece of heaven is also an amazing part of this novel. While everything else is discovered in the novel, what happens in Susie's paradise is what drives the plot forward and makes the story unpredictable. I never knew what would happen next. The best part is that the reader experiences Susie's unpredictable afterlife alongside her as she makes new discoveries about how her personal paradise works. I applaud Sebold's ability to leave the "Hallmark" paradise and come up with some new ideas about what might happen in the afterlife. This book is truly like no other book I have ever read. If you like reading true crime, you might like this novel. If you are a person who doesn't like reading i.