I was drawn to this book by the title and the description of a teenage girl isolating herself in a remote log cabin. As a child Elisabeth has undergone traumatic surgical treatments to correct a bone discrepancy. While she is now apparently healed physically, her emotional trauma is raw and enduring. Author Allison Sweet Grant does a commendable job of exposing Elisabeth’s difficult recovery and lingering hurts and insecurities. This is a book sensitive older teen readers may appreciate.

Going into this book I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did. This book was so powerful and so beautiful. The character growth in the book with the main character was so beautiful to read.

I definitely look forward to more books from this author.

Elisabeth just wants a break from her life. She has lived a physically painful and lonely life and she just wants a break from it all. From her family and friends. She finds herself in a remote town where no one knows her or about her past. She finds a job in a small shop that doesn't really need any extra help. She is living the life she wants at this time. When a major blizzard hits the area and the power is out, she has to make some tough decisions in order to survive. Making the trek across the field to the Sheriff's house (the sheriff is her landlord's brother by the way), she finds the help she needs and maybe a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Feeling like you are trapped is always a terrible feeling. You could feel her pain while she was in her leg brace and the pain she felt by not being able to open up to others. This book was a slow burn, where you weren't sure what was going to happen. But it made me think and about being on your own and I think it's a good story for any teen who thinks they are ready to be out on their own.

Emotionally wrenching story about medical trauma--a topic that I had not read about in YA fiction before. I could see this being quite validating for teens/adults who have similar stories. It started out a bit slow, but once I was invested in the story, I read quickly.

This book was heartbreaking, how Elisabeth is treated by her mother and why she leaves when she turns 18. It grabbed me from the start and I couldn't put it down. A good mix of poetic verse and novel and one I think my students will enjoy.

This book surprised me as I didn’t know what to expect when I requested it. I haven’t read much poetry but this was a great and easy read. I didn’t expect the emotions I felt while reading this and this book actually made me cry. Hard to put down and a great read for the climate we’re currently living in.

an emotionally charged novel that takes readers on a raw and painful journey of self-discovery, grief, and healing. The narrative alternates between two timelines: the present, where Elizabeth is living alone, struggling to prove her independence, and her past as an 11-year-old, enduring painful medical treatments. The dual timelines highlight her unresolved trauma and how she tries to convince herself that everything is "fine," when in reality, she is far from healed.

The book delves deeply into Elizabeth's emotional turmoil—her grief, insecurities, and the physical pain she must confront. The writing is beautiful yet poignant, capturing the intensity of Elizabeth's struggles and the toll they take on her. The unexpected arrival of her neighbor, Noah, a kind and steady presence as the town sheriff, forces Elizabeth to finally confront her vulnerabilities and accept help, setting her on the path toward self-acceptance.

Elizabeth moves to a small town where no one knows her, and she can live quietly and what she sees as safe. But a snowstorm and her neighbor, the young sheriff Noah, lead her to look at her life through different eyes. This is a deeply absorbing story, visceral and emotional as Elizabeth gradually tries to deal with the horror and trauma of her childhood filled with horrendous medical procedures. This is a story about not only survival, but trust, which Elizabeth has little left. Watching her work her way through it (including some powerful poetry) is fascinating, and resonates long after finishing the book. A short, quick, beautiful read. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars

<I>How frightening it must be, to wake up to a world completely changed, and to no longer understand your place in it.</I>

I Am the Cage is an introspective novel that delves into medical trauma, disability, and resilience. I went into it expecting a heavy read, but I was also anticipating a stronger romance element than there was.

The story is mostly internal, we spend most of the time in Elizabeth’s thoughts as she navigates the long-term effects of childhood medical trauma. We follow her currently, living in self imposed isolation, and we see past chapters as she experiences her trauma.

<I>What I had really been running from was the girl she had taught me to be—fearful, weak, and silent. To whisper when I should have been wailing, to be permissive when I should have protested. To be servile in the midst of suffering. I had learned to hold myself accountable for the actions of others, and when others should have been accountable to me, I learned only to question myself.</I>

Her time wearing a fixation device (drilled into her bones to correct a leg discrepancy) was harrowing. The book doesn’t shy away from the physical and emotional toll of her treatments, or how she was treated as less than/a problem that needed to be fixed. This was an important perspective on disability and the shortcomings of the medical system, particularly in how children are treated, and not consulted about their own care.

The poetry was definitely my favorite part. Those sections were beautifully written and added a lyrical depth to the story.

<I> You are my body and I am your mind—
Since we’re stuck with each other, let’s just be kind.
I’ll ignore you and you ignore me—
We’ll go on with our lives, separately,
With a clear understanding of what each other intends.
We live together but we are not friends.</I>

I listened to the audiobook, and I think it would have benefitted from a voice actor. It was narrated by the author, and I found the performance lacking in voice differentiation between characters, the protagonist’s thoughts, poetry, and dialogue, making it difficult to fully immerse myself. I think if it was narrated more like Ever Since by Alena Bruzas I would have liked it more.
While I can appreciate an author wanting to narrate their own work, especially if they have personal experience with the trauma, I think a voice actor would have brought more nuance and emotional weight to the story.

Because of the heavy nature I did find this pretty hard to read, and hard to want to come back to. And I found conflict to be a bit unresolved.

The writing itself is strong, the disability representation is important. If you’re looking for a deeply personal exploration of trauma, this book may resonate with you. But if you’re expecting a more structured plot or a true romance, it might not be the right fit.

I Am the Cage by Allison Sweet Grant starts slow and a bit chaotic like the snow storm that shuts down Elizabeth/Justine’s mountain hideaway. As she slowly befriends the local sheriff, she comes to term with her childhood trauma. There’s a gentle sweetness to Elizabeth challenged by the raw pain that keeps dragging into the past. Each alternating timeline chapter makes her simultaneously more vulnerable and yet stronger each step forward. This will make you wonder who really knows best and what price is worth debilitating pain and suffering.

Some really huge YA authors blurbed this book (Markus Zusak, John Green, and Kathleen Glasgow), so I went into the story already a little bit in awe.

The story alternates between two different times. In the present-day scenes, Elisabeth lives an anonymous life in a small coastal town, alone in a rented cabin. In the past, she endures a painful surgery and excruciating ongoing treatment while feeling emotionally isolated from her family.

She wrestles with these memories of her past and the idea that the only way to be safe is to be alone. This becomes more difficult in the snowstorm, and she reluctantly begins depending on help from the local sheriff. I liked the fact that the relationship doesn’t “fix” her. He doesn’t push her, but he doesn’t magically cure her, either. She has to figure out what she wants and what she needs and how to put that into words for herself.

The scenes showing the aftermath of her surgery and the adjustments to the brace on her leg are pretty rough at times. It’s also not emotionally simple. It’s far beyond the adage about “no pain, no gain.” I found myself questioning where the line is between treatment and torture. It made me think about the fact that children endure longterm medical treatment without the guarantee of a supportive family, and what those scars would look like.

I read the book really quickly, staying up far past my bedtime to finish the story. I loved the way that things resolve and the connections that were there from the beginning that Elisabeth didn’t know about until the end.

Fans of Kathleen Glasgow will enjoy this one.

4 stars!

Allison Sweet Grant has written a beautiful, poetic, heart wrenching story that is so very raw and so real you can’t help but cry throughout the story, painful tears, gut wrenching tears and happy tears as well.

This is a story you will have to process. Containing many aspects of the ugly part of being human and the raw emotions that someone who has chronic medical issues deal with daily.
Elizabeth hides in a cabin away from everyone and anything that would bring up her past. She wants to get away and start over, dealing with many traumas from her past. She doesn’t open up, and she hates showing or feeling any vulnerability to anyone. However, when a massive snow storm occurs, and the power is out, she reluctantly goes to her neighbor, the young new sheriff. After spending time with him and talking some things out with him, she is slowly realizing that she can no longer hide or run from her traumatic past, and to move past it she is going to have to come to terms with what happened and find her voice to speak about it.
This story is powerful and moving, and shows a rawness that isn't pretty and people do not want to see or don’t realize that it happens and it's how people feel. The author wrote this beautifully, it was moving. The story with the struggles puts childhood trauma into words and shows how it can affect people and their thought process even into adulthood! This is definitely worth the read! Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this one! It was an empowering journey!

Sadly this one isn't for me at all, an I tried three times to get in to it and just couldn't do it .

This book has a really sad undertone and It made me feel all the feels.

It was a tad monotone but it is necessary. It brings you down to how Elizabeth feels. Its beautifully heartbreaking. The book leans heavily on childhood trauma so if thats a trigger for you, do your research before picking up.

It's set over two timelines... and it was well done. I usually hate books who do this but it felt natural the way it was done and I really appreciated the backstory. It helps you to udnerstand why Elizabeth is the way she is. I could feel the her vunerability. I couldn't imagine what she went through. To go through medical trauma and feel like a burden?,.. I felt the pain.

I don't normally read books like this. I am a really emotional person and the smallest thing can make me cry but this book... was done with such care that I felt myself sink in. It's beautifully written and the slower pace was done just right.

4.5 stars

Truly the kind of novel anyone who loves coming of age books should read.

[arc review]
Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I Am the Cage releases February 18, 2025

2.5

After many years of enduring medical trauma, Elisabeth has found solace and safety in the small town of Fish Creek as an isolated homebody.
At nineteen-years-old and with limited trust in others, Elisabeth is adamant on taking care of herself, but a severe snow storm forces her to confide in her neighbour and seek out help.

This is a very character-driven novel with short chapters that include flashbacks of Elisabeth's rehabilitation and integrations of poetry.

I think this would've packed more of a punch as a novella.

This was a difficult read and is chock full of trigger warnings. The subject matter was raw and painful. There is poetry mixed throughout the story. Chapters alternate mostly from Then to Present. My only complaint was the pace. It was slow moving in some parts and you really had to push through. But, it was moving and filled with important subject matter. I would recommend.

A beautiful novel of self reflection and growth as our MC runs from physical and emotional pain. I really enjoyed the raw vulnerability that she showed the reader as she didn’t shy away from her emotions even when trying to hide from their cause. The sweet and slow romance was a perfect method of healing, though I wished she had been aged up a bit to match her inner maturity. The setting really helped to highlight her feelings of isolation and the ending was a great arc for her. Nicely done.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy. These options are my own.

This was a bit boring for me overall. I get the appeal, and I can see how important this book is to the author, but for me it just missed the mark. I think the story was kind of a downer with a dash of romance and frankly, that was where I turned my brain off. I just can't get into teenage/adult romance stuff as much as I used to, I've become way too cynical. Too many YA novels. Too many book talks about those themes. Blah. I know there is a place for this novel out there though, and I know people are going to love it.

Title: I Am the Cage
By: Allison Sweet Grant
Pub. Date: Feb. 18, 2025

Genre:
Fiction, Young Adult, Poetry, Disabilities, Mental Health

Red Flags: Situational Medical Abuse, Self-Harm, Bullying,
(*The content itself is gut wrenching, only recommended for older teens who are emotionally stable.*)

Favorite Quotes:
“How frightening it must be, to wake up to a world completely changed, and to no longer understand your place in it.”

“What’s worse?” He asks a question designed for the universe before us. “Being deceived by others or being deceived by others or being deceived by ourselves?”

“Twinkle, twinkle, little stars, connect the dots between my scars. Sticks and stones and silver pins, map the heavens on my skin.”

“I turn my head up toward the sky. I see no stars, but I know they’re there. It makes me think about the things we can’t see, even when they’re right in front of us, and the things we can see, but choose not to. I think about the times I’ve prayed for the stars to stop moving, and how sometimes I wished they’d move just for me. I think about how sometimes the sky looks so close you could poke it with your fingertip, and sometimes it looks so impossibly far away it’s hard to imagine there’s a good behind it.”

Summary/Review:
Wow! It’s hard to put into words the emotional roller coaster that is “I am the Cage.” Best YA I’ve read in a long time!!! This is a gut-wrenchingly, raw, coming of age story.

Elisabeth is a young adult, who moved to a cabin in the woods to escape her family. This childhood trauma filled narrative is created with poetic moments of pain, angering anguish, and bold pieces of courage. Through Grant’s talented writing we learn the necessary process of pain and healing.

As a professional educator for students with disabilities, so many of my students can relate to and benefit from this novel. A deeply unsettling narrative that will haunt the reader long after the last page. Highly Recommended!

For fans of Kathleen Glasgow, prepare to shed tears, read in one sitting!

Thank you to Allison Sweet Grant, Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, Dutton Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for the opportunity of an Advanced Readers Copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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