Book Review: Sweet Grant's young adult debut 'I Am the Cage' gives resounding voice to the voiceless

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We’re taught from earliest childhood that doctors are trustworthy healers, so there’s a special sense of betrayal when they inflict pain. Young adult debut novel “I Am the Cage" by Allison Sweet Grant — author of two picture books — tells of the crimes committed against Elisabeth’s body and psyche by the medical community, and by those who stood by while it happened. But it also tells of survival, grace and self-discovery.

Elisabeth’s past is nothing short of agonizing. It’s only slowly, through panic attacks and flashbacks, that we learn what it takes to regain a sense of self and purpose after surviving trauma.

Readers must take the passenger seat and yield to the protagonist's pace as Elisabeth reveals her scars and the stories behind them. When a snowstorm bears down on the quiet little Wisconsin town Elisabeth has run away to, cutting the power and straining her meager supplies, the agoraphobic young woman finally allows herself to do the forbidden: Ask for help. Her handsome neighbor Noah is quick to answer the call.

But this isn’t your typical tale where the girl who’s been hurt falls in love with a guy who “fixes” her, or shows her how to love again.

Although it’s mainly set in 1999, Sweet Grant takes a more modern approach by keeping Noah strictly as a support character. Told in present-tense first person, readers must keep their attention on Elisabeth. It’s a fittingly singular spotlight to shine for two reasons: It reflects the main character’s extreme isolation, and it gives a resounding voice to the voiceless. The story itself acts as a step toward righting the injustices that Elisabeth faced — and many readers will resonate with — in not being heard by cold, busy, or otherwise inattentive medical professionals.

In contrast with the heavy subject matter, the writing is simple and easy to digest. In between the occasional poems, the narration is heavy on similes, metaphors, and understatedly dazzling descriptions.

Sweet Grant writes in enough hope and happiness to make Elisabeth’s plight bearable, while slowly building up her past to give the ending the weight it deserves. Still, don’t expect flowers and rainbows. There are some magical moments, but “I Am the Cage” is steadfastly tethered to the harsh reality of our painful, beautiful world.

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