Title: Saint X
Author: Alexis Schaitkin
Release Date: February 18th 2020
Genre: Thriller
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.
Saint X is a thrilling read with a dark touch to it.
Something bad happens while Claire and her family are on vacation. Claire wants the truth and searching for the truth is consuming her. What she uncovers is eye opening. How much do you really know a loved one?
The beginning threw me off just a bit. We had multiple points of views right off the bat. Along with flashbacks. I struggled with that but then the story found it’s footing. The authors story telling is different than what I’m used to. Once I got used to the format of the book, I was engrossed into the story. I HAD to know how it would end. The story itself is suspenseful. You get an intimate look at how these characters handled grief and how that one moment affected the lives of everyone. There are some twists that I didn’t see coming. LOVE when that happens! These characters were well written. I don’t know if I had a favorite but they each contributed to making the story work. All in all this is a pretty good read. I give this 4 stars.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*
The Literary Vixen 