illustration of Susie in the clouds with her charm bracelet above her head

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

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Student Question

What does Lindsey Salmon take from her sister's bedroom after her murder in "The Lovely Bones"?

Quick answer:

Lindsey Salmon takes two items from her sister Susie's room: a photograph of their mother and a "Hippy-Dippy Says Love" button. The photograph captures their mother, Abigail, in an uncharacteristically candid and personal moment, revealing a side of her unknown to her daughters. The button, one of Susie's favorites, is a sentimental item that Susie had found and treasured despite her mother's disapproval of her wearing it.

Expert Answers

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Lindsey Salmon takes two things from her sister Susie's room after Susie's murder.  These items are a picture that Susie had taken of their mother, and, "after reconsideration...(a) 'Hippy-Dippy Says Love' button" (Chapter 7).

The picture is significant because it catches their mother in an attitude in which neither girl had ever seen her.  Their mother wears no lipstick, and is, for just one moment, not "their mother" but simply "Abigail".  In the picture, Abigail is not "the mother of the birthday girl, owner of the happy dog, wife to the loving man...homemaker...gardener...sunny neighbor".  She is "someone mysterious and unknown" to her children; caught unawares, she is completely herself (Chapter 3).

The button was pink, and one of Susie's favorites.  Susie had found it in the school parking lot, and had had to promise her mother she wouldn't wear it (Chapter 3).

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