Susie Salmon’s story plays out in The Lovely Bones, a film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel. The movie follows Susie (Saoirse Ronan), a teenage girl who falls victim to her neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci), and watches from the afterlife as her family struggles with her sudden disappearance.
Though the film delves into heavy themes, its conclusion offers a sense of resolution—within the limits of its tragic premise. As Susie prepares to transition to a new stage of the afterlife. She briefly returns to Earth by possessing her classmate Ruth Connors (Carolyn Dando) to be with Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie), the boy she had a crush on.
Tragedy, justice, and a bittersweet farewell in The Lovely Bones (Photo: The Lovely Bones/DreamWorks Pictures, in association with Film4 and WingNut Films)Meanwhile, Harvey disposes of the safe containing Susie’s remains in the Connors’ sinkhole. A look into the future hints at her family’s eventual healing. However, Harvey’s dark nature remains, as he is seen trying to lure another young woman into his car.
She rejects him, and as he gazes over the city, an icicle strikes him, sending him over the edge of a cliff. With her final words, Susie embraces her fate, reflecting on her brief existence. She closes the film by mirroring her opening monologue, saying, “I was here for a moment and then I was gone.
I wish you all a long and happy life.”
What Happens to Susie Salmon?
Throughout The Lovely Bones, Susie struggles with accepting the end of her life and transitioning to the next stage of the afterlife. At the time of filming, Saoirse Ronan was the same age as her character, and in an interview with Michigan Daily, she shared that Susie initially resists the reality of her death.
“She wants to be back on Earth with her family, but she knows she can’t,” Ronan explained. “And to get [to heaven], she has to focus on her love for her family instead of the hatred and vengeance she feels toward her murderer.”
Observing her father, Jack (Mark Wahlberg), succumbing to anger and vengeance, Susie realizes how destructive those emotions can be. His inability to move forward threatens to consume his entire existence, and she begins to understand that holding onto bitterness only deepens the pain.
By the film’s final moments, Susie is ready to move on. With Harvey’s crimes exposed, her parents reunited, and her siblings safe, she finds the peace she has longed for.
Before fully transitioning, she revisits Earth for a brief goodbye, using Ruth’s body to kiss Ray and express gratitude for the poem she never got the chance to read. Then, she steps into the unknown, becoming the last one to find closure.
As Susie departs, she reflects on the moment of leaving: “Nobody notices when we leave. I mean, the moment when we choose to go. At best, you might feel a whisper, or the wave of a whisper undulating down.”
Does George Harvey Ever Get Caught?
Jack and Lindsey (Rose McIver) grow increasingly suspicious of Harvey, prompting them to take bold risks in an attempt to prove his guilt.
While Harvey is away from his house, Lindsey sneaks in and discovers a notebook containing damning evidence: newspaper clippings about Susie’s murder, blueprints of an underground hideout, and even a lock of Susie’s hair. The notebook also reveals Lindsey was Harvey’s next target.
Lindsey barely escapes and hands the notebook over to Grandma Lynn (Susan Sarandon), who in turn alerts the police. However, the timing works in Harvey’s favor. Realizing his secret is exposed, he quickly disposes of Susie’s remains and vanishes before the authorities can catch up with him.
Though Harvey meets his demise when he falls into a ravine, the extent of his crimes remains unclear. The film never explicitly states whether he was linked to the other murders Susie learns about in the afterlife or how long he remained a fugitive.
For the Salmon family, there is some relief in finally knowing what happened to Susie, but true justice remains elusive. Her body is never recovered, and Harvey is never officially arrested for his crimes. Lindsey is left with the chilling knowledge that she narrowly escaped the same fate as her sister.
Harvey’s lonely and accidental death raises a difficult question: was it enough, or did his victims’ families deserve more closure?
What’s Next for the Salmon Family?
At the start of The Lovely Bones, the Salmon family enjoys an ordinary suburban life, filled with warm moments and family traditions. However, everything falls apart when Susie goes missing.
She describes this period as a time before missing children appeared on milk cartons or became headlines on the evening news—an era when people did not expect such tragedies in their neighborhoods. Jack and Abigail (Rachel Weisz) respond to the loss in opposite ways, straining their marriage.
Lindsey and their younger brother, Buckley (Christian Thomas Ashdale), struggle with not only Susie’s death but also the growing distance between their parents. When Abigail eventually leaves, it seems their family might never recover.
By the end of the film, however, Abigail returns home, reconciling with Jack after coming to terms with her grief. With Jack letting go of his obsession with revenge, they find common ground once again. In an emotional moment, Abigail steps into Susie’s untouched bedroom and whispers, “I love you, Susie.”
Lindsey, once skeptical of love, is now expecting a child. The hint of new life within the family signals that healing is possible, and Susie recognizes that her presence is no longer needed. Knowing her loved ones will be alright, she finally accepts that it’s time to let go.
What Is the In-Between?
For most of the film, Susie exists in the In-Between, a surreal realm where she lingers before moving on to the afterlife. The Lovely Bones does not present a strictly religious perspective, but the In-Between functions as a transitional space—a whimsical purgatory where souls grapple with accepting their fate.
A final goodbye, a fleeting moment, and an unforgettable love (Photo: The Lovely Bones/DreamWorks Pictures, in association with Film4 and WingNut Films)While there, Susie encounters other victims of Harvey, forming a connection with Holly (Nikki SooHoo), one of the girls he previously murdered. Together, they embrace the joyful, carefree experiences that were stolen from them.
They dance, play dress-up, and act like celebrities posing for photographs, as though reclaiming the innocence they lost. The In-Between provides an opportunity for Susie to relive the happiness of her former life while remaining tethered to the people she loves.
“I was alive in my perfect world,” she reflects during her time there. Director Peter Jackson took a different approach from Sebold’s novel, crafting the In-Between as a more fluid, subconscious space. “We based it very much on the subconscious,” Jackson explained to SFGATE.
“We didn’t look at it as a practical, physical location as it is a bit more in the book. Everything she reacts to and does is her subconscious having to deal with the various mysteries and questions she’s confronted with when she’s in the In-Between.”
Though separate from reality, this ethereal space maintains a connection to Susie’s former life. Ruth, a classmate with an unusual sensitivity to the spiritual, is able to sense Susie’s presence. Buckley, her younger brother, unknowingly captures glimpses of her afterlife through his drawings.
The In-Between serves as both a reflection of Susie’s grief and a bridge for her loved ones as they gradually learn to move forward. It remains a space of healing—one that allows both the living and the dead to find closure in their own time.
