How important is the setting of "The Lovely Bones," and what specifically does it influence?

In this novel,
the setting, the time and place of the events, is very important, and this setting is one of the
most unusual I've seen. Most of the events happen on earth, but Susie tells what is happening
from heaven. There are a few scenes that occur in heaven, but they expand the story rather than
propel the plot forward. The events that occur on earth move the plot forward.

As far as the time of the novel, we immediately know it takes place in the 1970s
because we are given the specific date of December 6, 1973. In telling the story,...