On December 6, 1973, in Pennsylvania, Susie Salmon takes her usual shortcut home from her school through a cornfield. George Harvey, a 36-year-old man who lives alone and builds dollhouses for a living, persuades her to have a look at an underground den he has recently dug in the field. Once she has entered it, he rapes her, then kills her, dismembering her body, whose parts he puts in a safe and dumps in a sinkhole.
The Salmon family refuses to accept that Susie is dead, until Susie's elbow is found by a neighbor's dog. The police talk to Harvey, finding him odd but seeing no reason to suspect him. Susie's father Jack also begins to suspect Harvey.
Susie continues watching family and friends, and as they go about the business of living, she narrates both recent and past events.
Each of the Salmons develops ways to cope with his or her individual grief and fear. Jack involves himself in finding Susie's killer; Abigail isolates herself from her family and turns to Detective Fenerman for answers; Buckley asks direct questions regarding Susie's absence; and Lindsey struggles with both her desire to claim an identity separate from Susie, the dead daughter and sister, and her tremendous grief at the loss of that sibling.
In The end of the story, Susie's sister gives birth to a daughter, Abigail Suzanne ( Abigail is named after Susie's Mother and Suzanne is named after susie). When stalking another young girl in New Hampshire, Harvey is hit by a huge icicle and falls down a snow-covered slope, dying from the wound.
Kisah ini bercerita tentang seorang gadis 14 tahun bernama Susie Salmon, saat pulang sekolah dan melintasi ladang jagung ia dijebak, diperkosa dna dibunuh oleh tetangganya yang bernama Mr.Harvey, seorang pedofil.
Keluarga Salmon tidak dapat menerima kenyataan mengenai kematian Susie sampai anjing tetangga mereka menemukan siku tangan Susie.Polisi merasa ada yang aneh pada diri Harvey namun mereka puas dengan alibi yang dimiliki Harvey, namun ayah Susie tetap mencurigai Harvey.
Dari surga, Susie terus mengamati keluarga tercintanya, mengamati kehancuran keluarga itu karena kematiannya dan bagaimana mereka mencoba untuk melanjutkan kehidupan mereka, yang telah diluluhlantahkan oleh kesedihan akibat kehilangan Susie.
Di Akhir cerita dikisahkan Adik Susie, yang telah beranjak dewasa, melahirkan seorang anak yang ia namai Abigail Suzanne untuk mengenang Susie.
Dan, Harvey akhirnya terbunuh pada saat menguntit calon korbanya karena terhantam oleh tetesan air yang membeku dan jatuh ke jurang...
The Lovely Bones' Novel is written by : Alice Sebold
Source : e-note
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