CAGE OF STARS by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Jacquelyn Mitchard, Cage of Stars (Warner Books, 2006).

Jacquelyn Mitchard, Cage of Stars (Warner Books, 2006).

Available in hardback, paperback, Kindle, Nook, CD and Audible.

(fiction)

(Recommended by Barbara Penrod Andrey

I recently read Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard on the recommendation of my grandmother. The book is about a Mormon family in Utah which experiences a tremendous tragedy. The main character Veronica was at home watching her two younger sisters while her parents were at work. They were playing an innocent game of hide and seek. Veronica was hiding in the shed. After a while she realized she hadn't heard a peep from her sisters. When she exited the barn she saw her sisters in a pile of their own blood. A man she had never seen before was sitting on the picnic table babbling.

The book goes on to follow Veronica and the rest of her family as they learn to live with guilt, grief, and anger, and attempt to move on with their lives. While her parents try to move on with their lives Veronica just can't. She has to find out what type of person this man really is. She secretly finds out where he lives after he is released from serving time. Then things really start to get interesting.

The reason the book was recommended to me was to see if the author had a correct understanding of a Mormon family's beliefs and lifestyle. I will say that nothing was incorrect but it was only on a basic level. You could tell the author did a good amount of research. What really pulled me into the book was not that the family was Mormon but the main character, Veronica.

I connected to her on a very emotional level. I too lost my sister at a very young age and had to experience the changes that brings to a family. Of course the death of my sister was from very different circumstances. She died from a genetic disorder. I also had my childhood stolen at a young age and dealt with the anger and hatred a person can hold on to. I had to deal with the struggle of whether to forgive or just keep hold of the anger I had every right to have.

If you have ever had to deal with the struggle of forgiveness then you might enjoy this book. I am probably going to go back and read it again.