Grandma Lynn Character Analysis in The Lovely Bones

Abigail’s mother Lynn is loud and larger-than-life, and her appearances at the Salmon household, though rare, are always fraught. Though outlandish, superficial, and slightly self-absorbed, Grandma Lynn cares deeply for her daughter, Jack, Lindsey, and Buckley, and does all she can to help them put their lives back together in the wake of Susie’s death. Grandma Lynn senses that her daughter is having an affair, but is ultimately powerless to shake Abigail out of it. Once Abigail leaves for California, Grandma Lynn comes to stay, moving into Susie’s old room and taking on the role of the Salmon family matriarch in her daughter’s absence.

Grandma Lynn Character Timeline in The Lovely Bones

The timeline below shows where the character Grandma Lynn appears in The Lovely Bones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...and Jack nods his head. He then makes a phone call to Abigail’s mother, Grandma Lynn. (full context)

...the keys from their hiding place, and sped all the way to the hospital. Grandma Lynn predicted that Susie would have a long, healthy life, since she had saved her brother’s;... (full context)

Grandma Lynn arrives in Norristown the evening before Susie’s memorial. Grandma Lynn always hires a limousine from... (full context)

As Grandma Lynn pulls up to the house, she calls out to Jack, who is sitting on the... (full context)

Without her coat, Grandma Lynn is thin and “starved down.” She used to constantly tell Susie and Lindsey that they,... (full context)

After dinner, Lynn joins Abigail at the sink, and tells her that she “needs some help.” Abigail thinks... (full context)

Grandma Lynn appears in the doorway and asks Lindsey to zip up her dress. After Lindsey helps... (full context)

...the church door, dressed in all black. His older brother Hal stands beside him. Grandma Lynn introduces herself to Samuel as “the evil grandma,” and then the Salmons, together with the... (full context)

...At the end of the service, as the family stands for the final hymn, Grandma Lynn leans over to Lindsey and whispers to her, telling her to look toward the door.... (full context)

Grandma Lynn arrives on the Monday before Thanksgiving, and immediately intuits that something is wrong with her... (full context)

Lynn asks Abigail to promise her that she will stop seeing the man she is seeing,... (full context)

As Grandma Lynn passes by George Harvey’s house on the way home, she senses something evil radiating from... (full context)

When Lindsey walks in the front door of her own home Jack, Abigail, Grandma Lynn, and Samuel are sitting together, worried sick that she has come home late. Lindsey breathlessly... (full context)

...cakes, and casseroles on the front porch for the Salmons. One afternoon that fall, Grandma Lynn calls and says she has been thinking about coming to stay. Jack argues that their... (full context)

Grandma Lynn gives Buckley a book about gardening. Abigail calls from California every once in a while.... (full context)

...Nate, and Holiday the dog inside. Hal helps Buckley to waterproof the fort, and Grandma Lynn develops a little crush on the handsome young Hal. (full context)

...that Lindsey and Samuel will be all right and reminding him that Hal and Grandma Lynn are still downstairs. Buckley leaves, and Jack flips through a stack of photos—the last of... (full context)

At four o’clock, while Hal and Lynn are baking brownies in the kitchen, the doorbell rings. It is Lindsey and Samuel at... (full context)

...Buckley rushes to Jack, but then realizes he needs help, and goes to get Grandma Lynn. As Jack lies in the grass, helpless, he says aloud that he has never chosen—he... (full context)

...Philadelphia. When she lands in Chicago, she calls the hospital and asks to speak to Lynn; she lets her mother know that she is on her way. Lynn reveals that Jack... (full context)

Grandma Lynn tiptoes out of the room and into the waiting area, intercepting a nurse carrying a... (full context)

...Ray. She was afraid of what she wanted most—his kiss. Susie remembers talking with Grandma Lynn on the phone about kissing—Grandma Lynn described one’s first kiss as “destiny knocking.” Susie revealed... (full context)

...changed—but she notes that it will change again and again, endlessly, over the years. Grandma Lynn offers to make everybody drinks while Hal teaches Buckley the drums. As Lynn places ice... (full context)

...leaving when they choose to leave you. You’re not meant to.” She notes that Grandma Lynn died several years later, but Susie has not seen her in heaven—she is sure that... (full context)

...gift of something to marvel at. Susie’s parents eventually give her possessions, along with Grandma Lynn’s, to Goodwill. They don’t let go of Susie entirely, and continue to share with one... (full context)