Cage’s Bend

By Carter Coleman

     Welcome to Cage’s Bend. This is where the Rutledge family hales from. This is where family history lives on to haunt the three sons of a preacher man and his wife from Tennessee. Cage Rutledge, the favorite older son, brings a new understanding to what it is like to be bi-polar. Nick and Harper are Cage’s younger brothers. All three are athletic, smart and popular. A terrible tragedy not only unleashes Cage’s mental illness but forces the entire family to deal with its aftermath.

     This was a strong novel with a vivid description of living in the south and what mental illness does to a family. There is also a glimpse into life in the northeast and a mental hospital called Bridgewater. Bridgewater was an actual institution that was eventually shut down carrying nightmarish stories into its history.

     This is a book I took my time reading. It made me want to stop and contemplate things as they were happening. You could feel Cage’s mental illness and what it must be like to a person fighting their own personal war.