Cage of Stars

Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard is an interesting novel that paints a vivid picture of vengeance, atonement, and mercy.

Cage of Stars is a novel about the life of Veronica Swan, a girl who witnesses the murders of her two younger sisters. The murderer, a schizophrenic man named Scott Early, was sentenced to a maximum security facility for the mentally ill. When he was released, she set out on a journey to avenge her sisters’ death because she felt as if he didn’t pay for it. While doing so, she realizes what it truly means to forgive once she saw that he had come to terms with what he had done.

The turning point of the story was when Scott wrote Veronica a letter saying that even though she tried to disguise who she was, he knew who she was and that she came to kill him. Scott made it easy for her because he knew that she couldn’t forgive him, so he tried to kill himself for her by putting a plastic bag over his head, attempting to smother himself. Veronica watched him struggle for a while at first but she then broke the bag, resuscitated him, and called the paramedics for him.

The books made this seem believable by having Veronica, fueled by a mixture of emotions, start an interesting monologue. It started by Veronica calling him a coward, saying that he was taking the easy way out, and ended with how she couldn’t believe that she was saving the man who killed her sisters. It basically said everything that was going on in her head as the events were happening.

Cage of Stars is a mainly dramatic book with a few hints of mystery. The emotions shown by the characters help them develop and mature as the book goes on. They also help set the moods for certain scenes and confrontations between each person.

Cage of Stars also helps with the stereotype given to the Mormon religion by setting some of the ridiculous rumors to rest and telling the truth such as Mormon men are bigamist, meaning that they have multiple wives and that Mormons kill people for atonement or to pay for their sins.

This book is highly recommended because of its vivid portrayal of a vendetta gone right. It is available to check out in the Jamaica High School Library.