"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name,susie.I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973,"  So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continuewithout her--her friends trading rumors about her dis-appearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks,her grief-stricken family unraveling.

Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss,The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope,humor, suspense, even joy.