The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold What happens after you die? There are so many theories and no way to prove any of them. One is just as plausible as the next. This book explores one of these many possibilities. When we meet our main character, 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already dead, the victim of a murder, and in heaven. She has to deal with no longer being a part of what was her life, and she is exploring the place in which she now resides – heaven. Throughout the book we learn what she learns as she watches her family and friends from above. The stress of her murder, the dealing with the unknown location of her final resting place, the ongoing speculation on who the murderer is… She watches as her parents’ marriage suffers in the wake of the tragic events that have unfolded. She sees her sister distancing herself from friends and family in an attempt to be strong. And she watches as her baby brother struggles to understand what ‘gone’ means when all he really wants is his sister back. She is witness to her friends going on without her and the boy she liked moving on as well. And she investigates this place called heaven. It looks a lot like the world she left behind with playgrounds and new friends and anything she wants appears, just by thinking about it. It is in this place that she grows up and matures, where she learns to leave her old life behind knowing that they will be ok without her. Truly an inspiring novel, regardless of your belief, or lack thereof, in an afterlife. This story turns a tragic, painful event into one of hope and understanding. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a non-demanding read that touches the heart and makes you believe in all sorts of possibilities.