I Am the Cage: A Poetic YA Novel

★★★★★ New favorite novel. I Am the Cage was spectacular. I was hooked from page 1 (which is my favorite first page of a novel, ever). Allison's prose is truly one of a kind, as is her poetry which is sprinkled throughout the book. She has an incredible ability to envelop you in each scene and alongside each character. I found myself wanting to give Elisabeth a hug or hand-squeeze throughout the book, only to realize I wasn't standing next to her. I ended the book in a puddle of tears and smiles. This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to live with, through, and past pain. I will be reading this over and over again. Thank you, Allison.

★★★★★ A young girl isolated by a childhood of agony. Such an intimate powerful story of one terribly hurt young woman. I don't know how any readers could experience this book without becoming invested in and deeply moved by the gut wrenching isolation of 19 year old Elizabeth. After finishing high school, she's dropped out of the world, living a solitary hermit's life in a remote Wisconsin cabin. Elizabeth's survived a childhood of almost indescribable medical torture. She suffered for years with a metal leg brace pinned to her bones in order to adjust their growth. Through all the years of torment, her sense of self worth has been chipped away by excruciating agonies of the procedure along with the overall lack of empathy from her mother. Now healed only physically, she seeks total solitude as a way to protect herself from a world of hurt. But then a winter blizzard leaves her stranded and forced to rely on the help of her nearest neighbor Noah, the small town's young Sheriff. In gradual increments, Noah's concern and genuine friendship, bring out glimmers of humanity and new perceptions in this bedeviled young soul. After years in the dark, sunlight's peeking through for her. For a heart touching experience, I can't praise this book highly enough. There's a kind of ethereal, haunting poetry to it, as well as some actual, beautifully crafted poetry in Elizabeth's deepest thoughts.For anyone who wants to experience the highs and lows of a character's life-affirming journey out of anguish, I'd say this book's as good as it gets.

★★★★★ Not Okay. 'I Am The Cage' by Allison Sweet Grant was a five-star read for me. This is a YA read but definitely does not read on an immature level. This book handles sensitive themes and emotions brilliantly. The cast of characters were few and the chapters were short, both of which are assets in my opinion. As the plot progresses you begin to realize more and more that everything is not 'okay' for Elisabeth and hasn't been in a long time. The book did not have a happily ever after romantic ending but rather a couple of pieces of poetry tied up the story. I really loved both of the pieces as they were central to the theme of the book. I would definitely recommend this read for adults from the later years of secondary school and upward. I would like to thank (the now extinct) 'BookishFirst and also Penguin Random House for getting this ARC in my hands. I thoroughly enjoyed it.