The Lovely Bones

I wasn't going to read this book.
I really wasn't.
I heard it got great reviews.
But I still wasn't going to read it.

A book about a fourteen year old girl who gets raped and murdered by a neighbor and no one figures out that he did it.

Nope.
Not interested.
I don't even let my children sleep with their window cracked at night.

And then they made a movie out of it.

I admit I was curious. 
A little.

Did I mention, I am the biggest scaredy cat in the world when it comes to spooky movies.  Disney scares me sometimes.  Seriously.  Have you seen Watcher in the Woods?  Just sayin'.

So, I added it to the netflix queue and thought Someday.
That someday came.  And I watched it.  Truth be told it freaked me out a bit.  And then the movie ended.  And I thought What-the-French-Toast???!!  It's called The Lovely Bones people.  I assumed it meant at some point somebody would actually find some bones.  And I went from being spooked to baffled.  Did I miss something?  Was I not paying attention enough in the movie?  I wikipedia'd it but I was still left puzzled.  If it's called the lovely bones, but they never find the bones, what does that mean?

So I hiked my brave up around my belly button, trotted down to the library and checked the audio book out.  
Then, I got scared....again.
You can call me a wimp.  It's fine.
I let the book sit on the desk untouched for weeks.
But, books and I, we have this unspoken agreement.  Even if its terrible and I hate it, I am committed.  I will read it.  Not matter what.

Do you know when I listen to audio books?  When I'm out running.  It gives me something to focus on besides my breathing.  I was worried about not being able to listen to this one while I was running.  I already make up crazy stories in my head about some of the over grown, abandoned houses I run past in the early morning hours.  I thought it would freak me out.

But it didn't and I found myself very much liking the story.  Actually the movie was way more creepy-suspenseful than the book. 

So....my interpretation of The Lovely Bones:
Bad things happen.
Everyday.
But what happens next?  What happens to a soul that has been released from its earthly body before it's ready to say its good-byes?  What happens to the people that person left behind.  The ones with a gaping hole where someone they loved used to be?
This story is a falling apart and a rebuilding of a family and the bones (think - bonds) that tie us all together in the end.

p.s.  For the record....they did find an elbow of Susie Salmon.  That's it.  An elbow.  And a charm off her charm bracelet.