payment page
On December 6, 1973 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is murdered near her home. Her neighbor, George Harvey, lures Susie into a hole he dug, where he rapes, murders, and dismembers her. The novel is narrated posthumously by Susie from heaven. There, she meets her roommate Holly, a Vietnamese girl, and Franny, an intake counselor. As Susie adapts to her new surroundings, she watches her grieving family and friends back in the world of the living.
Initially, Susie’s worried family hopes she’ll return, but when an elbow is found on December 9, a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird is discovered days later, and Susie’s notebook (with traces of blood) is recovered on December 12, the police conclude, despite having no body, that Susie is dead. Her parents, Abigail and Jack, struggle to accept that their child has been murdered. Susie’s siblings, Lindsey and Buckley, are devastated and shocked. Just a year younger than Susie, Lindsey withdraws into herself, but Buckley, who is only four, cannot understand and regularly asks about Susie’s whereabouts.
Others also react to Susie’s death. Ruth Connors, a classmate, senses Susie’s presence as she dies and begins writing poetry about her. Meanwhile, Harvey fills in the hole, disposes of Susie’s body, and begins a new project—constructing a ceremonial tent in memory of his deceased wife. Jack joins him and, while they work, he becomes suspicious of Harvey. Jack shares his intuition with Len Fenerman, the lead detective, who investigates Harvey but finds nothing incriminating.
During a dismal Christmas, Jack tells Buckley that Susie is dead. Samuel Heckler brings a half-heart necklace for Lindsey, the other half of which he wears. The two kiss as Susie watches, elated, from heaven. Susie remembers being tenderly kissed by Ray Singh, a classmate from India. Ruth is part of Susie’s memory of this kiss, and Susie accompanies Ruth, unseen, on Ruth’s early morning walks in the cornfield where Susie died. Ray sees Ruth and joins her, initiating their friendship.
Jack goes to the Singh house to discuss the note found in Susie’s notebook with Ray. Ruana, Ray’s formidable and protective mother, is caring toward the Salmons. She shares that she would find and kill the person responsible if her son were to be murdered. As this is happening, Len and Abigail wait in the kitchen for Jack’s return, and Len shares that his wife died.
Buckley tells his friend Nate that he sees his sister. Franny, Susie’s “intake counselor” in heaven, explains that this is a common experience for the young. The narrative shifts briefly to Harvey’s childhood, as Susie sees his mother literally run away, never to return.
Grandma Lynn, Abigail’s mother, arrives for Susie’s memorial in January and helps the family cope, teaching Lindsey how to apply makeup and convincing Jack to have a drink. Samuel and Hal Heckler, Len Fenerman, and George Harvey also attend the memorial. When Grandma Lynn points out Harvey to Lindsey, she faints.
The next summer, Lindsey attends a summer symposium for “gifted” children, along with Samuel and Ruth. Lindsey and Samuel have continued to date and, that summer, they have sex for the first time, after the final project—how to commit the perfect murder—is announced. Susie plays along with the perfect murder game in heaven. When Susie plays, she always picks the icicle, which, after it’s used, will melt and vanish, eradicating any evidence of murder. Jack continues tailing Harvey, but his obsession with Harvey frustrates police. Len visits Jack to set boundaries. Lindsey, home from the Symposium, accuses Len of giving up.
That night, a demoralized Jack sees lights in the cornfield. Grabbing a bat, he heads out to investigate, confident he’ll encounter Harvey. Instead, he stumbles upon Susie’s close friend Clarissa and her boyfriend, Brian Nelson. Jack mistakes Brian for Harvey and attacks, but Brian grabs the bat and beats Jack instead, sending him to the hospital. When Abigail arrives at the hospital, she runs into Len. Their conversation about death sparks a deeper connection, and they kiss. Lindsey, too, makes her way to the hospital and sings to her sleeping father as Susie watches.
The new school year begins, and one evening, Jack interrupts Lindsey while she’s shaving. They discuss his suspicions about Harvey, coming to an unspoken agreement. The week of Thanksgiving, Grandma Lynn arrives and confronts Abigail about her affair with Len. Abigail won’t promise to end things and instead redirects the conversation, asking if she can use the family cabin in New Hampshire. This question suggests that Abigail plans to continue the affair there.
Lindsey keeps a close eye on Harvey, and he, likewise, spies on her, aware of her attention. On November 26, 1974, Lindsey breaks into Harvey’s house and finds a drawing of the hole in the cornfield. Harvey comes home but Lindsey escapes, although not unseen. Susie sees more of Harvey’s childhood experiences, especially those with his mother, as Harvey calls the police. Jack also calls them. Officers go to Harvey’s house, but he manipulates them and packs and flees that night. During all of this, Len is with Abigail and misses everything. Meanwhile, Ruth and Ray begin experimenting with their sexuality, without commitment but with increasing physical responses. In December, Lindsey, Buckley, and Jack are comforted during an impromptu memorial in the cornfield.
Time accelerates. Abigail leaves for California and Grandma Lynn moves in with Jack and the kids. Evidence slowly accumulates on Susie’s case because Harvey’s violence continues. A Pennsylvania keystone charm, which Harvey stole from Susie’s bracelet after murdering her, is found near a body in Connecticut and is linked to the Salmon case. Ray, Ruth, Lindsey, and Samuel all graduate from high school and leave for college. At the end of eight years, the family dog, Holiday, joins Susie in heaven.
After graduating college, Lindsey and Samuel return to Norristown. A violent rainstorm forces them to take shelter in a dilapidated Victorian house. Samuel announces his desire to marry Lindsey and restore the house. They run home in the rain to share their good news with the family. In New York City, Ruth is a bartender who walks the streets, recording places where women and girls have been killed, while Ray studies to be a doctor.
After arguing with Buckley, Jack suffers a heart attack. Abigail rushes home to be greeted by children she barely recognizes. Although she plans to flee again, Abigail and Jack begin reconciling when he awakens in the hospital. Abigail realizes it’s possible to accept grief without running away.
Ruth and Ray visit the local sinkhole when Ruth learns it will be filled in. Ruth wonders if Susie is “there” and, when Susie appears on the sinkhole’s edge, asks her what she desires. Harvey reappears in town and drives through his old neighborhood, watching Lindsey alone in the Salmon house. The police arrive to question the suspicious man, not recognizing him as Harvey. Harvey drives to the sinkhole, and when he passes Ruth, she faints. Susie enters Ruth’s unconscious body while Ruth visits heaven. Susie (as Ruth) and Ray have sex, and she is elated because he recognizes it is her. Shortly after, Susie feels herself drifting away back to heaven. As she does so, Ruth returns to her body.
Jack leaves the hospital with his family. Time passes, and Lindsey and Samuel marry and have a daughter. Grandma Lynn dies, but Susie has not yet seen her in heaven—possibly because Susie has moved to a new place that she calls “wide wide Heaven,” characterized by the most satisfying comforts. From there, Susie sees Harvey’s death. An icicle falls on him and he loses his balance, falls into a ravine, and dies. Someone finds Susie’s charm bracelet and imagines that the girl who owned it must now be all grown up. From heaven, Susie wishes everyone a long life.
