It might be a surprise to you that I read this book. Especially, considering how different it is from the last book I posted about. If you heard about it, saw the movie or even saw a preview you knew that this book was not a light and happy-go-lucky story. Pretty much anything with the word "bones" in the title you know probably is going to be a little on the dark side, at least. Well, this book is no exception. I first saw the film. I was not overly impressed with it but the story intrigued me intellectually. I knew that it had originally been a book and I wondered how it had been altered from the original narrative. I had spoken to a few people who had seen and read the story and the general consensus was "the book was better." Big shocker there, right?
First off, I would like to say that I have an odd quirk about me. I absolutely love TV shows that have anything to do with crime, typically murder. So does my mother, so I blame her :) My dad refers to them, mockingly, as our "killer shows" even though we secretly know he has to fight getting sucked into them himself :) The science of criminology and watching them catch bad guys is really interesting to me and I have to admit that I am also interested in knowing how the crime was committed. You probably had no idea that I was that dark, huh? Sometimes I think I should have been a criminal justice major and gone into law enforcement of some kind. My favorite shows are Bones, Castle, Body of Proof, NCIS, etc. The original NCIS, mind you! Not to be confused with NCIS: LA. Don't even get me started.
All that is to say, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was not a stretch for me in my line of interests. To warn you plainly this book is not PG13. I do not recommend this book for the faint of heart, particularly anyone who is closely acquainted with the crime of rape and/or murder of a family member. I can imagine that this book would be incredibly painful. It was painful enough for me, who by the grace and mercy of God has been spared such tragedies. The book is written in the perspective of the victim, which coupled with Sebold's portrayal of heaven is largely what intrigued me about it. There are not many stories written in the perspective of a murder victim for obvious reasons. It was fascinating to see how the tragedy affected a family of unbelievers and how each character in the book processed and ultimately healed from it without turning to God as a source of comfort and strength.
The theology was pitiful but to be expected of a writer who for all intents and purposes appears to be an atheist. Sebold definitely has a very hedonistic view of heaven, which is to be expected. It was wonderful to get a better understanding of how a non-Christian would try to explain the after-life and how they picture heaven. I found it fascinating to watch Sebold try to reconcile her idea of perfection with the snags she would naturally run into with her theories. Her theories were rather predictable but at times I could almost feel her stumbling on how a humanistic version of perfection could ever logically exist. It felt like at times that she was questioning her own ideas through her characters, but would have to quickly dismiss them and move on for the sake of the story not getting caught in a theological struggle.
To summarize, I would say that I came away feeling benefited by the book solely for the purpose of having a deeper understanding of a non-Christian worldview. Sebold is obviously a talented writer no matter the subject matter. I found the characters dynamic; the writing perspective unique and Sebold's concept of heaven thought provoking. Proceed with caution if you decide to read this book. It might, however, intrigue and interest you on the same level and for the same reasons it did me. If so...
Happy reading!
TTFN~
REE
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