The Lovely Bones

i read the The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold yesterday. my first impression, that lasted for most of the book, was that she managed tackling a difficult subject without as much sentimentality as i would have expected. by the end i'd changed my mind. while i found her understanding of heaven and the relationship between the dead and the living interesting, i found the ending too syrupy and perfect, in such a way that i felt it ruined the reality she was trying to get to throughout most of the book. it all just ended too neatly for me, life, especially the worst tragedies in life - like the rape and murder of a fourteen-year-old, just isn't so neat and clean. i guess Sebold was trying to leave the audience with a sense of hope, but instead i found it sad that she gave up on reality for those last few pages.

any thoughts by anyone else who's read it?