Over a month after finishing this book, I still think about it from time to time. Saint X is a debut novel by Alexis Schaitkin and I read it as a buddy read with one of my Instagram buddies. We had a great discussion about it and I think I appreciate the novel more because of that.
This story is about a family who goes on vacation to, you guessed it, Saint X! They have two daughters, Alison and her younger sister Claire. During their time there we get a glimpse of the relationship between the two sisters, the parents who are never named, and that Allison is a little rebellious. On the last day of their vacation, Alison goes missing. After her body is found, the investigation turns up nothing and the story really begins from there, focusing on Claire.
We journey with the characters in their grief. That part is written so well and it really goes from a mystery to a psychological journey for Claire. What you know and remember as a child is different when you look back on it as an adult. Claire learns more about who her sister really was and in order to stop her own downward spiral, she must come to accept some things. I thought Claire's character was written exceptionally well. I found her endearing, I had empathy for her, I was a bit scared of her, and I really liked her.
The ending was anticlimactic for me. Only because of my own expectations though. I think this is why I keep thinking about it. Without giving away spoilers I will say that, now I think it was brilliant. Not having my expectations met is probably the point!
If you give this one a read, I would love to hear your thoughts.
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