Help Please! The Lovely Bones

[Katie-Ellen]

Is anyone familiar with the book, later also a film, The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.

We have here a murdered girl talking about her death, as she watches her family and friends struggle with her loss, and comes to terms with her own death. We have telepathy and visions of the afterlife.

Genre? According to the publisher, Little, Brown, it is 'A Novel.'

Elsewhere it is described as fantasy, supernatural drama, as a candidate for the horror label, and simply as 'upmarket fiction,' meaning fiction on the literary/commercial cusp, likely to have book club appeal

Suzy, the protagonist is 14, but it is classified as Adult Fiction.

Does anyone have comments to share on the book, or its genre? What other contemporary novels dealing with this kind of territory come to mind?

It would really help me, thank you.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

I enjoyed the book, the film is okay but not great, it's missing too much from the book. I'd class it as a suspense book, definitely not for children or teens, due to the murder and pedophilia aspect. Definitely a good read, though.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I enjoyed the book, the film is okay but not great, it's missing too much from the book. I'd class it as a suspense book, definitely not for children or teens, due to the murder and pedophilia aspect. Definitely a good read, though.

Suspense. I see why. That adds another to the list, then.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

I'm ignorant on that one sorry. But I like the idea that it's 'a novel.' I suspect all these growing genres' tend to muddy the water and too much thought goes into where a novel fits, or if a new category is need. Just read them I say

 

[Emurelda]

I too am not familiar with this 'novel' but the genre that comes to mind is paranormal/ghostly thriller.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Yeah, not for kids! I tried to read the book, and wanted so much to like it, because it was so well-written...but it struck way too close to home for me, and I was on vacation at the time and wanted to enjoy my vacation, not get caught up in nightmare memories, so I never finished it. Will get back to it one day...

 

[Vivaldo]

I've even seen it described as YA in some places but I think its a suspense novel too - or just plain old 'literary'.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

There have been quite a few novels with a dead person as the narrator. A largely forgotten series from the past, with ghosts as protagonists, were written by Thorne Smith and turned into popular films. He was a favourite writer of my father's, who introduced me to the Topper novels, as well as The Night Life Of The Gods. These were rather racy for the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorne_Smith

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper_(film)

The idea of ghosts having more fun that their earthbound dull friends is irresistible, and Cary Grant and Constance Bennett made spirited spirits.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Yeah, not for kids! I tried to read the book, and wanted so much to like it, because it was so well-written...but it struck way too close to home for me, and I was on vacation at the time and wanted to enjoy my vacation, not get caught up in nightmare memories, so I never finished it. Will get back to it one day...

I am sorry. It's very, very upsetting, Robinne. I've always warned my girls to just run, never to worry about being polite, ever, no matter who it is that's creeping them out. Though I think the vision of an interim afterwards is not so far fetched. A little known book called The Monkey's Tail by a former archaeologist, Tom Lethbridge, is a potted education about many things, (including climate change) It has some fascinating suggestions based on his investigations, while bringing a scientific rigour and caution to bear. I had an extraordinary experience once, in Leicester town centre, in the middle of a sunny afternoon, an encounter, that makes me think something of us does indeed survive bodily separation.

 

[Diamond]

Based on the recommendation of classmates, my 13-year-old daughter and two of her friends watched the Lovely Bones movie at a sleepover and loved it. My daughter then proceeded to beg me to buy the book. She's not a huge reader, but she liked the book, too. I've seen the movie. Liked it, but didn't love it as much as the teenie boppers. Even though it's not designated as YA, that's mainly who is buying it. I think the publisher knows this, but due to the disturbing subject matter, they're not going to label it as such.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

So many adult books are open to older children. I grew up reading adult books and children's books, even though I didn't necessarily understand some things in the adult books. I read the usual children's classics, The Secret garden etc. I read The Great Fortune by Olivia manning in my early teens, and some of it went over my head but never mind. I was left with characters and impressions and atmosphere and came back again much later, and made more sense of the war time background. I read Electra by Henry Treece without cottoning on to the lesbian story line, but again, so what? It's good for children to stretch.

 

[Diamond]

As for genre, sometimes it's helpful to turn to Amazon. The Amazon Best Seller Rank and/or Look for Similar Items gives you a hint as to the genre and keywords the publisher is using.

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
• Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Psychological Thrillers
• Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > Psychological
• Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Psychological

Having seen the movie, I think psychological thriller is the perfect label for Lovely Bones. I just noticed that the UK Amazon site doesn't show the same categories as the US site that I used. Interesting, eh?

http://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Bones-...d=1437994449&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lovely+bones

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Good suggestion, @Diamond. Thanks for flagging that up. They're worth a good combing, and there's rarely much consensus on genre.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I saw the movie, and was leaning toward supernatural horror until @Diamond suggested psychological thriller. I would agree with that assessment. Definitely a challenging story to categorize.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I wonder what she called it in her letter to agents.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I think as adults (and even more so as parents) we see the true horror behind events in books like Lovely Bones and Hunger Games--we are repulsed that anyone could do such things to children. Kids don't have that depth of understanding. They see only the excitement and adventure part of it. I've given up reading "challenging" books alongside my kids--they just don't see the challenging bits. And, of course, there are books that I read at 13 that would absolutely shock me if my son read them! As a friend of mine says, kids are just having a party in their own heads.

 

[Raconteur]

And, of course, there are books that I read at 13 that would absolutely shock me if my son read them! As a friend of mine says, kids are just having a party in their own heads.

Well said.

 

[Diamond]

". . . kids are just having a party in their own heads"

I'm going to have to remember that one!