X Doesn't Mark The Spot With This

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Thank you in advance to Celadon Books for sending me this novel to review. A positive review was not required and all views are my own.

“Saint X” is a fictional Caribbean Island. And, while some reviewers will immediately think of Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance from Aruba – readers will be surprised to learn that Schaitkin did not use that as her guide. Yet, some readers might draw the parallel and will be disappointed.

“Saint X” is told from multiple POVs – Claire/Emily, Clive, and several minor characters in a bold face type usually at the end of a “chapter”. Though often it is hard to tell which POV is narrating the “mystery scenes”. Rather than number her chapters, Schaitkin names them to coincide where the story is taking place.

Claire is seven (7) years old when her college age sister Alison disappears on the last night of the family’s vacation on the Caribbean Island of Saint X in 1995. Alison’s body is discovered several days after she went missing.

The Thomas family makes a move out to Pasadena, where Claire becomes Emily – using her middle name.

Her life is changed and not quite the same. Her family still wants the truth of Alison’s death and more so when suspects are found but released when the evidence and timeline doesn’t align with the facts. Ultimately it is decided that Alison’s death was an accident – but her parents refuse to accept that.

Now, as an adult, Emily is living in New York and soon connects with one of the suspects in her sister’s disappearance and murder. It is more by accident than actual planning.

Emily is determined to find the truth about her sister’s death – to get to the bottom of it. It turns from a fact-finding mission to an over-consuming obsession that overwhelms not only her personal life, but work life as well as she lags behind in her work responsibilities so much so that it has dire consequences. Emily is also learning that the Alison she knew isn’t the one that she gets to know. Still, she can’t let go.

Alison, in death, has consumed Emily’s life. Emily begins dogging Clive, trying to get him to slip up, find something that can convince her that he murdered her sister.

But, just as Emily thinks she’s learned the truth – only it’s a truth she’s always known. Readers will be surprised to learn the truth as well. And, in the end, Emily/Claire learns that the truth sometimes does nothing for us. Is seeking closure about hanging on, or letting go?

The end was not what I was expecting, then again that’s probably what the writer had intended. It was a different and unique novel. I was expecting one ending and wound up with an entirely different ending.

Schaitkin weaves in the past and current stories of other characters central to the story – Clive as well the minor voices we hear in it, mostly at the end of a chapter. Though, at times it seems unnecessary and can clutter up the story. It does well to describe the differences between the islanders who live there from day to day and the vacationers.

As one reviewer stated – it was like they were reading, yet making no progress. After reading that review, I will state that I felt the same way. I do believe that some of the writing could’ve been halved and the story would’ve worked out the same.

If you’re looking for a murder-mystery, you won’t find it in this novel. There is no intrigue. In fact, I’m not sure what it is. I don’t know if that is good or bad.

This would probably be a great weekend read from the library for a change of pace depending on your preferred genre.