Saint X A Novel
Saint X A Novel by Alexis Schaitkin, published by Celadon Books on May 25, 2021, spans 368 pages and is presented in English. This novel explores the profound impact of loss and the complexities of familial relationships through the lens of Claire, who grapples with the disappearance of her sister, Alison, during a family vacation. The narrative unfolds as Claire, now an adult in New York City, encounters Clive Richardson, one of the men initially suspected in her sister’s case, prompting her to delve into the mystery surrounding Alison’s death and her own understanding of their relationship.
Readers will find a haunting portrayal of grief and obsession as Claire’s journey leads her to confront not only the circumstances of her sister’s tragic fate but also the deeper questions of identity and connection. The story intricately weaves themes of family life and coming of age, highlighting the bond between sisters who never truly had the chance to know one another. As Claire’s pursuit of truth unfolds, the narrative captures the emotional weight of unresolved trauma and the search for understanding in the wake of tragedy.
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A New York Times Notable Book of 2020, now a Hulu Original Series!
“‘Saint X’ is hypnotic. Schaitkin’s characters…are so intelligent and distinctive it feels not just easy, but necessary, to follow them. I devoured [it] in a day.”
–Oyinkan Braithwaite, New York Times Book Review
When you lose the person who is most essential to you, who do you become?
Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, included in Good Morning America’s 20 Books We’re Excited for in 2020 & named as one of Vogue‘s Best Books to Read This Winter, Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of February 2020, and O Magazine‘s 14 of the Best Books to Read This February!
Hailed as a “marvel of a book” and “brilliant and unflinching,” Alexis Schaitkin’s stunning debut, Saint X, is a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another.
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.
For readers of Emma Cline’s The Girls and Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies, Saint X is a flawlessly drawn and deeply moving story that culminates in an emotionally powerful ending.
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