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It starts off innocently enough: a boy-crazy 14-year-old freshman in 1973 is crushing on a 23-year-old man at school. It seems that the gentleman is interested in Susie too and despite the disparity in age, she falls for his charms, mostly due to his exchange student allure & suave accent. In the 1970's age disparity wasn't as big of a deal as it is now. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that another gentleman is also interested in the nubile teen. His name is Mr. Harvey & he lives in Susie's neighborhood. Unlike the man from school, Mr. Harvey puts in a tremendous amount of effort in an attempt to win the love of Susie Salmon. He builds her an amazing underground clubhouse, complete with all the stuff young people from that era loved. He had beverages such as Coca Cola that he selflessly shared with Susie as they hung out. It became clear that Mr. Harvey was a bit awkward around members of the opposite sex. His nervousness around Susie Salmon was evident & she picked up on that. Girls prefer a man with confidence. I also feel that maybe she was turned off because the Coke that Mr. Harvey gave her in his clubhouse was warm. I didn't see an ice-filled cooler in the clubhouse anywhere. So I think these factors all led to Susie Salmon losing her patience, which erupted in a childish display of rudeness. Mr. Harvey only had one rule in the clubhouse: Be polite. Susie Salmon broke that rule & the series of events that followed spiraled into one great, big, unfortunate chain reaction. Susie ended up losing her life but later had some ghostly moments.

Are there bad people in The Lovely Bones? True, Susie Salmon came off as being a little narcissistic and immature but she was only 14 years old! Yes, Mr. Harvey was socially awkward and made some questionable choices in life but he had a deep desire to be loved and respected. Plus, he was a taxpayer and a valuable contributor to society.

If you had to pick a side, which would it be?