Saint X was nothing like I expected. It delivered so much more. While on vacation with her family on the (fictional) Caribbean island of Saint X college-age Alison goes missing and is found dead. Years later her sister has a chance encounter with the top murder suspect and is determined to uncover the truth of what happened.
Based on this summary I expected a thriller suspense novel but while there is a mystery at its heart Saint X is more of a slow burn coming of age novel and very introspective. It touches on class, race, privilege, family, obsession, and how pivotal moments in our lives can shape our existence. Not a suspense/thriller as you'd expect from the description. The author shifts perspective and narrative voice in a way that's hard to predict and incorporates some articles and audio diary entries. This approach could be confusing or disjointed but I found its unpredictability fresh, interesting, and never forced. She has an incredible ability to capture vivid settings and create characters with a sense of authenticity. The prose is smart and insightful with a style that felt sharp and authentic. She has the power of capturing honest words and thoughts that I related to in an intimate way; so many sentences hit me with a powerful impact as I recognized my own thoughts. To me this book was all about the writing. I didn’t fall in love with the story or characters but this debut author is absolutely one I will have my eye on!
Based on this summary I expected a thriller suspense novel but while there is a mystery at its heart Saint X is more of a slow burn coming of age novel and very introspective. It touches on class, race, privilege, family, obsession, and how pivotal moments in our lives can shape our existence. Not a suspense/thriller as you'd expect from the description. The author shifts perspective and narrative voice in a way that's hard to predict and incorporates some articles and audio diary entries. This approach could be confusing or disjointed but I found its unpredictability fresh, interesting, and never forced. She has an incredible ability to capture vivid settings and create characters with a sense of authenticity. The prose is smart and insightful with a style that felt sharp and authentic. She has the power of capturing honest words and thoughts that I related to in an intimate way; so many sentences hit me with a powerful impact as I recognized my own thoughts. To me this book was all about the writing. I didn’t fall in love with the story or characters but this debut author is absolutely one I will have my eye on!