Genre:
Mystery
Rating:
Five out of Five Stars for Goodreads
Disclosure
If readers purchase a copy of the book using the above link, I will receive a small commission from Amazon. The following is a duplicate of my review for Goodreads.
I really enjoyed this touching and powerful book. I appreciated the author's ability to connect the reader with Susie, the victim of a horrific crime committed by a very evil man. I enjoyed experiencing Susie's thoughts from her vantage point in the afterlife. I also appreciated the fact that the author discussed the ways in such a devastating incident disrupts the family of the victim. I simply can't think of much to say without giving away things that the reader should discover for themselves, so I'll keep it brief. Read this book (or listen, as I did.) It is an amazing experience.
The following questions are from the Insecure Writers Support Group Book Club discussion of this book.
1. The main character, Suzie Salmon, is killed in the first chapter. The author, Alice Sebold, has very little time to build Suzie as a character and get readers to connect to her.
QUESTION: Did you feel a connection to Suzie in Chapter One? What helped to create that connection?
I liked Susie from the beginning. She was an ordinary girl. Personally, that's one of my favorite protagonists: simply an ordinary girl trying to get through life.
2. Have you ever written a story in the point-of-view of a ghost/spirit?
If yes, what technique did you use? (How did you handle not being able to use certain senses such as touch and smell, and was your character able to interact with other characters?)
I primarily write paranormal/science fiction hybrids, so I write about ghosts quite a bit. My ghosts can see, touch, and smell things but have trouble interacting with the living unless they encounter someone who is sensitive to their presence.
3. The story jumps from character to character a lot and includes a lot of flashbacks. Did this detract from or increase your enjoyment of the overall story?
I thought the author did a great job of this and it added richness to the story.
4. What did you think of the description of Suzie’s Heaven?
I liked the realism of it, although I think it would suck to be there. I request a different heaven!
5. Overall, people love this book or they hate it. Where do you stand?
I liked this book very much and recommend it highly. It gets the Ornery Seal of Approval!
Ornery Owl
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I liked it, but didn't love it.
ReplyDeleteMind you, it is a long time since I have read it. I am a different woman and might like it more (or less) on a rereading.
This one made a big impact on me. I'm listening to another book by the same author, and though it's well-written I have mixed feelings on it.
DeleteThere are some books I re-read where I loved them the first time and don't really know why they appealed to me so much when I read them again, and other books that I give a second chance because I thought they were just okay the first time. Then there are those that just don't change--I either love them or I hate them.