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Jacquelyn Mitchard
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Book
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Publisher | John Murray | ||
ISBN | 9780719568879 | ||
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Reviewer
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Jayne
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Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Veronica Swan's idyllic life in a close-knit Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered. Although her parents find the strength to forgive the deranged killer, Scott Early, Veronica cannot do the same. Years later, she sets out alone to avenge her sisters' deaths, dropping her identity and severing ties in the process. But as she closes in on Early, Veronica will discover the true meaning of sin and compassion...before she makes a decision that will change her and her family forever. With a rare grace and piercing vision of people in turmoil, Jacquelyn Mitchard once again demonstrates her mastery of both suspense and complex human emotions as she explore the often surprising, mysterious acts that give full meaning to our lives.
Review
Cage of Stars sounds like a book all about stars of stage and screen. It is far from that being a very emotive book, and one that had me at times crying my eyes out, with the older daughter Ronnie and her family, and praying in the next breath for them to come through the trauma of that late autumnal day.
The prologue of the book until you get to the end of the story makes no sense. So for those about to read this book, accept the prologue for what it says then enjoy this family's story. Ronnie is a young girl of twelve playing as many older kids do hide and seek with her younger sisters Ruthie & Becky - they are counting to a hundred as four year olds do, missing out some of the numbers and Ronnie is hiding from them in her mother's art shed.
The two young children go quiet and she does not hear them coming looking for her, because she is supposed to be looking after them for her mum. She comes out of her hiding place only to see what no young child should ever be exposed to - her two sisters lying dead in the yard and some weirdo mumbling to himself he didn't mean to do it.
Being a Mormon family they live in a very close knit community, and the intrusion that this double murder brings to the state of Utah is very hard for Ronnie and her family to take. They are constantly harassed by newspapers and phone calls and because her mother is not far of having another child, Ronnie is left to cope the best she can. Mum takes to her bed, Dad takes to going walking every night and no one seems to understand that Ronnie blames herself for what has happend and that she can not sleep with out the nightmares of that afternoon, recurring every time she closes her eyes.
The twists and turns to the story that happen over the next 6 years, are amazing and how Ronnie changes her mind and does not want the perpitrator dead but alive to face his own fears again and again.
This is a wonderful book and throughout the story you see the references tonot only the Mormon religion but to other faiths will make people realise that not everyone from a particular faith is perculiar and that there are many who only what to live a quiet and spiritual life and do know the meaning of the words "forgive us this day our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us"
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