I saw the film version of The Lovely Bones before my mother died and before writing Pennies From Across the Veil, and I remember liking it as a good fantasy. I watched it again the other night and read some of what the author wrote. This time it was so different and I believed that Alice Sebold must have had experiences like I did with those who have passed over. It's as if she knew and felt them as I did. There were too many coincidences. So I'm finding this blog difficult to write. I could use the cheesy advertising line: If you liked The Lovely Bones, you’ll love, Pennies From Across the Veil. But I won’t. They really are apples and oranges with many wonderful similarities. What a terrific story.
The Lovely Bones was written by Alice Sebold and released as a novel in 2002. The story is tragic, sad, yet wonderful.
 Alice Sebold in 2007 By David Shankbone - David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2940734 |  |
It is about a young fourteen year old girl, Susie Salmon, who is raped and murdered and tells the story from her own personal heaven, where she watches her family and friends struggle with her untimely death.
The writing is beautifully crafted, as can be seen from the numerous quotes. I could not find that Ms. Sebold had any experience with the afterlife, but she did base the novel on her own brutal rape when she was in college. That rape affected her and all of her writing ever since.
The writing is beautifully crafted, as can be seen from the numerous quotes. I could not find that Ms. Sebold had any experience with the afterlife, but she did base the novel on her own brutal rape when she was in college. That rape affected her and all of her writing ever since.
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The book’s movie rights were purchased by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame. Jackson wanted to do the film justice and in my opinion, he did a wonderful job.
 Peter Jackson at Comic Con, discussing The Lovely Bones. |  |
The movie stars Irish-American actress, Saoirse Úna Ronan in the role of Susie. Her bright blue eyes added to the other-world imagery. Her parents did not want her to play the role, due to the horrific nature of the story, but after talking to Peter Jackson, they agreed. The film did not show her rape, nor her murder.
Saoirse Úna Ronan as Susie Salmon
The film also stars:
Mark Wahlberg
Rachel Weisz
Susan Sarandon
Stanley Tucci
Michael Imperioli
Mark Wahlberg
Rachel Weisz
Susan Sarandon
Stanley Tucci
Michael Imperioli
 Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon |  Rachel Weisz as Abigail Salmon |
Susan Sarandon as Grandma Lynn
I was impressed with the props, look, and feel of the early seventies in the scenes. The lingo was correct as well, such as “If you’ve got it, flaunt it”, while the song, I hear you knocking by Dave Edmunds is playing in the foreground.
Alice Sebold was raised in the Episcopal Church. Against criticism that her depiction of Heaven was not theologically correct, she stated that The Lovely Bones was not meant to be a religious story. In my own opinion… yes, it was completely devoid of a supreme being, yet had many elements of truth, as noted from my own experiences. The idea that Suzie could be in a place that was, as stated, “the blue horizon between heaven and earth,” has an element of a purgatorial state of being.
“Not heaven and not the other place”. ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bone
Also in my own experiences, as written in Pennies From Across the Veil, I could feel loved ones immediately after their passing, but then slowly, almost without notice, realized they were gone. This is addressed in her story as well.
“The dead are never exactly seen by the living, but many people seem acutely aware of something changed around them. They speak of a chill in the air. The mates of the deceased wake from dreams and see a figure standing at the end of their bed, or in a doorway, or boarding, phantomlike, a city bus.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bone
“The dead are never exactly seen by the living, but many people seem acutely aware of something changed around them. They speak of a chill in the air. The mates of the deceased wake from dreams and see a figure standing at the end of their bed, or in a doorway, or boarding, phantomlike, a city bus.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bone
It is Susie's father that never gives up on her. He feels her presence all the time.
“There was one thing my murderer didn't understand; he didn't understand how much a father could love his child.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones
This is also passed on to Susie's sister and little brother.
“There was one thing my murderer didn't understand; he didn't understand how much a father could love his child.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones
This is also passed on to Susie's sister and little brother.
Rose McIver as Lindsey Salmon, Susie's younger sister.
Stanley Tucci as George Harvey
Although the murderer is never caught for his crime, fate deals with him in its own way. George Harvey is by far the creepiest serial killer in filmed media. He murdered at least eight other little girls, all of which Susie meets in the afterlife.
Nikki SooHoo as Denise "Holly" Le Ang, Susie's best friend in Heaven and another of Harvey's victims.
Carolyn Dando as Ruth Connors, a classmate of Susie's, who could see and feel her presence stronger than most. Reece Ritchie as Ray Singh, Susie's love interest and friend who is strongly affected by Susie's death
Time passes, and Susie sees that her family is healing, which Susie refers to as "the lovely bones" that grew around her absence.
As the story concludes, Susie finally enters Heaven, telling the audience: "My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was 14 years old when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. I was here for a moment and then I was gone. I wish you all a long and happy life."
My own Pennies From Across the Veil. Based on true phenomena.
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