Book Review: "Saint X" by Alexis Schaitkin
Synopsis: Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men–employees at the resort–are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.
Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth–not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.
As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy.
Rating: 3.75
Trigger warnings: death, non-consensual sex, drug use
Review: I still remember when Natalee Holloway disappeared; she was from my home state, her stepbrother was a college classmate of mine, and one of my best friends from undergrad was with her the night everything happened. That summer, it seemed like her story was everywhere — a constant fixture of the Today Show and cable news shows on slow days. I think that speaks to a fascination with stories like these, tourist disasters that scream for headlines like “Nightmare in Paradise!” To be quite honest, that was the main reason I picked up this book.
To be quite honest, I was not expecting the book that I got. At the description, I was expecting a quick-paced, fast read, one that was perfect for the beach on the cover. Instead, I got a lyrical examination of grief and loss, misunderstandings and misbehavior, that was somehow both overly done and a story that I didn’t want to put down. I’m both impressed and annoyed with the author.
Alison, our golden child, goes missing and turns up dead while on her family vacation to an idyllic (and fictional) Caribbean island, Saint X, struck down before she finishes her freshman year of college. The rest of the book is an explanation of what happened to all of the involved parties — her much younger sister Clairey, her waspish parents, the suspects, and others that crossed paths with Alison during her shortened life. Clairey — called by her middle name Emily in an attempt to distance herself from the tragedy — chances upon one of the suspects in her sisters death, quite by chance, and spends the next few months slowly stalking and befriending him in an attempt to solve the mystery. The perspective changes often throughout the book, so we get multiple perspectives and timelines and locations, but it isn’t confusing. It just paints a complete picture.
Admittedly, I was frustrated by a lot of this book. I found the writing and some of the exposition almost unbearably pretentious, and I didn’t really like any of the characters (yes, I’m aware that’s not the point), but I still felt drawn to finish the story. I was frustrated with how it ended up immediately after finishing, but after reflecting a few days (I had a hard time writing this review), I am content with it. It was the perfect ending for the story the author set out to tell.
TL;DR: Hard to read not because of the subject matter but because of overly lyrical prose and pretentious language, but still an absolute page turner that will make you think hard about privilege, tourism, and grief.
If you liked this, try these:
“Things in Jars” by Jess Kidd (Shannon’s review here!)
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