MADreads

Cage of Stars

May 16th, 2006 Molly - Central

I have one semi-rule for myself when reading fiction:  I do not normally choose stories in which small children are hurt.  No matter how wonderfully written, no matter the awards, I will normally shy away from these stories.  But I do like to read all of the books written by certain authors, and Jacquelyn Mitchard’s newest offering, Cage of Stars falls into that category.  The story of this novel infuses so much mystery and tragedy with sweet family life and charming coming-of-age innocence, I found myself nearly brokenhearted, then laughing out loud within pages.  How does a writer fit all of that, and a study of the modern life of Mormonism into one book?  The reader follows along as Ronnie Swan, a pre-teen Mormon from Utah, witnesses the grisly murders of her two young siblings.  Her family falls apart as she continues to grow and she must come to terms with her place in the world and her place in the unbelievable tragedy that haunts her.

I grew to love the character of Ronnie, a regular kid caught between life and death and caffeine and Mormonism.  The ending was wrapped up quite tidily - I did have some other hopes for Ronnie and the ending of the story, but I didn’t write the book and can still appreciate the words of the author who did.  If you enjoyed Deep End of the Ocean, you will want to read Cage of Stars.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction, Mystery