The Lovely Bones

Photographs are the most common recurring motif of the novel. Susie aspired to be a wildlife photographer, and one of her most treasured memories is of receiving an Instamatic camera for her birthday, which she uses to take many photographs. Most notably is the secret photo she takes of Abigail, which is the only one where Susie sees her mother as a complete person, rather than just as a mother. Abigail has constructed a hard shell of motherhood that conceals the real her, and maintaining this façade causes her great stress. While Susie keeps this photograph hidden, Lindsey and Lynn eventually discover it and are also able to see Abigail as a complete person. These photographs of Abigail are also what allows Jack to fall in love with Abigail again in her absence.

Because the authorities never recovered Susie’s body, photographs are the only way for the characters to remember her by. Ruth covets photographs of Susie from Clarissa’s locker to better connect with the deceased’s spirit. Ray keeps Susie’s studio photo, a gift from his first crush, in a volume of Indian poetry that he also uses to press flowers. Fenerman keeps a copy of this photo in his wallet with his other unsolved cases, but he eventually writes “gone” on the back of it, accepting that he can’t solve every case.