Elisabeth (white) is a 19-year-old who has settled into a quiet, anonymous life in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, following a deliberate break from her past. Chapters alternate between present-day 1999, during which Elisabeth is trying to ride out a massive winter storm alone in her cabin, and flashbacks to her past, beginning with a traumatic medical event that began when she was 11 years old. Elisabeth is intentionally sheltered and self-protective in all aspects of her life. Throughout the course of the snowstorm, she reluctantly accepts necessary assistance from her rural neighbor, Noah, the town’s very young sheriff, when the power goes out for days. While huddled in blankets near the fireplace, Elisabeth finds a way to slowly emerge from her emotional cocoon and find her real self. The genuine care and kindness shown by Noah coaxes Elisabeth to examine the purpose of her self-loathing. When Elizabeth’s mom arrives unexpectedly to check on her snowed-in daughter, horrific pain and abuse from the past resurfaces. Partially based on the author’s childhood experience with limb-lengthening surgery, this book utilizes poetry and prose to process survival and resilience.

“I Am the Cage gives resounding voice to the voiceless.” –The Associated Press

“Powerful.″ –Booklist, starred review

“Visceral, wrenching, and beautiful.” –John Green, #1 bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Our Stars

“The sense of powerlessness—and redemption—will stay with you.” –Jojo Moyes, #1 bestselling author of We All Live Here and Me Before You

Fish Creek, Wisconsin—Beautiful. Quiet. Isolated. Anonymous. It’s all that nineteen-year-old Elisabeth needs, and everything she wants. Cloistered in her tiny cabin, Elisabeth is determined to be alone, hiding from her memories and making sure that no one can ever hurt her again.

But when a massive snowstorm strikes, plunging the town into darkness, Elisabeth finally allows herself to accept help from her neighbor, Noah, the town’s young sheriff. Forced to show him more vulnerability than she ever intended, Elisabeth realizes she can no longer outrun the scars of her childhood, and facing the darkness might be exactly what she needs to let the light in.

In a searing own-voices story accented by poignant childhood flashbacks and stunning poetry, Allison Sweet Grant’s young adult debut is a quietly powerful portrait of a young woman’s journey to confront the medical trauma inflicted to “fix” her—and heal her heart in the process. An emotional coming-of-age story about a young woman running away from herself, yet grasping to find a way back. Deeply moving, authentically raw, and humming with the possibility of a new love.