Why "Lovely Bones" is so popular

Many people who read "Lovely Bones" may not know that the story stemmed from the real-life rape that Alice Sebold survived as a freshman in college. Without being sentimental or mushy she manages to tell this tragic story in a way that captures and holds the readers attention from beginning to end. In brief conversations that I've had with students reading the book, many of them are finding it difficult to read for many different reasons. Some have a difficult time with Suzie's rape and murder while others are having a difficult time understanding how Suzie's family and friends are dealing with their grief.