Cage Bird

At thirteen, life should be simple. But for Elizabeth, Chuck, Mickey, Lana, and Dean, it's anything but.Growing up in a small town, five middle schoolers find themselves bound together by more than just friendship. Beneath the surface of laughter and everyday moments lie secrets too heavy for children to carry-grief that cannot be named, wounds that cannot be stitched, and hopes that flicker against the wind. Cage Bird follows their intertwined journeys as they stumble through the darkness of growing up too soon.Elizabeth, bright and sharp-witted, wears a smile she doesn't always feel. Chuck, shy and thoughtful, tries to be the glue that holds everyone together, even as his heart pulls him in a direction he's afraid to follow. Mickey, reckless and magnetic, hides her pain behind laughter and rebellion, clinging desperately to love in a world that feels colder every day. Lana, enigmatic and guarded, carries the kind of loneliness that makes her both untouchable and irresistible. Dean, grieving the loss of his brother, struggles to find meaning in a life shadowed by absence.As the seasons change, so do they. First crushes bloom and wither. Silent battles are fought behind closed doors. Scars deepen, some visible, some hidden. And when tragedy strikes, everything they thought they knew about themselves-and each other-shatters.Cage Bird is a raw, haunting portrait of adolescence, mental health, and the invisible wars fought by young hearts. It explores self-harm, grief, first love, identity, and the ache of growing apart from those we once thought we'd never lose. Inspired by the emotional depth of novels like A Little Life and Norwegian Wood, Cage Bird does not shy away from the darkest parts of youth, but holds them tenderly, reminding readers of the resilience found in even the most broken places.Written with painful honesty and rare emotional depth, Cage Bird captures the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood-the moments where innocence slips away, and all that remains is the question of who we'll become once the dust clears.This is not just a coming-of-age story. It is a survival story. A love story. A story for anyone who remembers what it felt like to be thirteen and terrified, in love with the world and furious at it at the same time.In a voice that is both aching and beautiful, Michael Verren delivers a stunning debut that lingers long after the last page.For readers of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Girl, Interrupted, and We Are the Ants, Cage Bird is a powerful reminder that even in our deepest pain, there can be connection-and sometimes, that is enough to keep us breathing.