Characters

Susie: A teenage girl who was raped and killed by her neighbor. She was coming home from school when she got lured into the cornfields where she was murdered. She goes to heaven and watches her family and friends back at home and sees how their lives are all affected by her murder.

Mr. Harvey: He is the middle aged man who lives next to Susie’s family. To others he is just known as a guy who likes to build doll houses. He tells everyone that he lost his wife in the past. However, they noticed that he is eccentric. Will they ever find out the truth?

Lindsey: Susie’s sister who is a year younger. The moment she learned that Susie died, she locked herself up within herself and did not show her sadness to others. In reality, she missed Susie dearly and would do anything to find the person who killed her. Everyone also sees Susie in her.

Buckley: Susie’s little brother. He is always told that Susie is on an extended sleepover to a friend’s house. He, being a naďve child, believes it. But like people know, truth cannot be covered up forever.

Mr. Salmon: Refused to believe that Susie was dead. He stayed in constant communication with the police. He was invited to build a teepee with Mr. Harvey. Mr. Salmon feels uneasy and thinks that Mr. Harvey has something to do with the murder.

Mrs. Salmon: After losing her daughter, she wants to escape from her world. She doesn’t want to stay in the house which reminds her of Susie more and more as the days pass by. She worries Lindsey because Lindsey thinks that Mrs. Salmon is going to run away.

Ray: He liked Susie and vice versa. He became one of the prime suspects when the news of the murder surfaced. Although he had a good alibi, many remain suspicious about him. He goes to school early so that no one sees him and leaves the moment school ends.

Ruth: Ruth is a very strange girl for her age. She is a loner and did not talk to anyone that much. Few days before Susie’s death, she and Susie talks for awhile. One the day of the murder, Ruth swears that she saw a ghost, Susie’s ghost, run out of the cornfields and into the sky.

Len: He was the head of the police force that investigated the murder of Susie Salmon. He feels sympathy towards the Salmon family and tries to do everything to find Susie’s murderer. He later realizes that he is in deep trouble.

Setting

The story takes place in a normal town somewhere away from cities. The story goes back and forth from the human world and heaven where Susie watches the human world. The story starts in 1973.

Plot

Susie Salmon was heading home from school. It was a cold winter evening and she was eager to get home. Suddenly, Mr. Harvey comes out of the fields asking if Susie wants to see a fort like hole he built underground. Being nice, Susie follows Mr. Harvey to the underground fort. When they are in there, Mr. Harvey rapes Susie and kills her. She is chopped up into pieces and placed in a plastic bag. Mr. Harvey found great happiness doing this.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Salmon started to worry about Susie. Soon later they report her missing to the police. Few days later a dog retrieved a cut shoulder from the cornfields but nothing else. The family keeps hoping that Susie is out their safe and that she will come home… All they could do is wish and hope….

Reading Level

This book is for mature teenagers and up. This book covers topics from rape to sex. The content is realistic enough that it may cause some emotional uneasiness for some people. The book also has curse words throughout the book. It also has few gruesome scenes that may make some people sick.

Positive Points

- teaches the importance of going straightt home after school. O_o

- The way it switches from heaven to earthh

- How they show the real life process of ffiguring out a murder case

- In depth characters

Tiri says...

Let me begin with "why Tiri read this book" talk. I had to read it because it was one of the only interesting books in the big, long list of summer reading. This is a book where we learn that the icicle is the best murder tool. O_o;; It's pretty good. If you like books that are on the freaky side, I recommend this. Like already mentioned, if you have problems with blood, murder and sex, don't read it.

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