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Critic's Corner
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Few authors today illuminate the struggles of families—and the crises that can tear them apart—better than Jacquelyn Mitchard. I first became acquainted with her work in "The Deep End of the Ocean," and "The Breakdown Lane," and always look forward to her next novel. "You can start a story anywhere you want. "And so I don't want to start with what the police found that afternoon . . . "I'd like it if you could see us, just for a minute, the way we were before then. Otherwise, we'll just be set down forever as what I kept screaming that night, while my parents tried to make me stop and come inside — just another story, under a newspaper headline. A tragedy that used to be the Swans." Ronnie Swan wants you to know her family so that you'll know they (the Swans) were an ordinary family, "a little bit more Birkenstocky than some, a little more National Geographic than some." The Swans (London and Cassie) were once semi-hippies. Sort of cute. Not obnoxious. And they were parents who loved each other and their children, Ronnie, Ruthie, and Becky. As the story unfolds, you first meet Ronnie as a 12-year-old girl with dreams of growing up and marrying and having children just as her parents did. Mother was an artist, she painted and sculpted. Daddy taught school and loved geography and nature. The family lives in a rural community outside of Provo, Utah. Nearly all the families were Mormon, except for the Sissinellis, they were Catholic. Even so, Miko Sissinelli and his sister were best of friends with Ronnie and her family. Rolling along in a voice that offers intriguing insights into modern-day Mormons and their daily lives, Mitchard reveals a rare sensitivity to her protagonist's family and their way of life. There are many tidbits of information I didn't know about the Mormon faith and its practices and found those sprinkled throughout the story of great interest. "Papa used to say, Methodism was born in song and Mormonism was bred in sugar." Ronnie thinks that's because they can't have anything else, so it's their addiction. Much of their lives are focused around their church, at least that is true of most Mormons. Church on Sunday can last up to four hours. The people in Ronnie's community do not believe in multiple marriages, but adhere to the beliefs of the Salt Lake City Temple Mormons. In other words, the Swan family, except for its strict belief system, is very much like ordinary folks we all know. That is, it was, until that day when Scott Early, like a wild-eyed banshee invaded their lives and senselessly murdered Ronnie's little sisters. Eventually Early is convicted of the crime and sentenced to a mental
institution. In time, Ronnie's parents find the strength to forgive the
deranged young man, but Ronnie cannot. Mitchard's piercing vision of people in turmoil, once again, displays her mastery of both suspense and complex human emotions as she explores the often surprising, mysterious acts that give full meaning to our lives. "Cage of Stars" is a story that will resonate in your heart and mind long after the reading is done. Mitchard is a former syndicated newspaper columnist and the author of ten novels for adults and children. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and seven children. Copyright 2006, Patricia Ann Jones Save Up to 30% on this book at Amazon.com Jones is a published writer and book reviewer for Tulsa World newspaper. To comment on this review you may email pattij777@aol.com |
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