Saint X Analysis

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin is a fiction novel set in two locations, a Caribbean resort in Saint X and New York City. The novel’s central character is Claire, who lives under the shadow of her departed elder sister, Alison, for most of her adulthood. The main points discussed in the novel include heartache and pain, individuality and the search for truth.

Alexis Schaitkin starts the novel by discussing the theme of heartache and pain. Claire, her elder sister Alison and their parents are on vacation at Saint X Resort in the Caribbean. Alison disappears, and a few days later, she is brutally murdered. Before her disappearance, Alison was spotted with two men, Edwin and Clive, pursuing her for love. Claire was only seven years when her sister Alison died. Claire and her parents never recover from the grief because the memory of Alison's sudden and atrocious murder haunts them throughout their lives. When Claire becomes an adult, she relocates to New York and changes her name to Emily to try to forget about Alison's death.

The other significant topic in the novel Saint X is the passion for knowing the truth. Despite changing her identity in the United States, Emily continues to search for answers on how her sister Alison died. Emily's persistence in looking for hints on how her sister died shows she is still in pain. Emily's passion for knowing the truth is fueled when she meets Clive, a taxi driver in New York City. Clive is one of the two men who were with Alison when she died. Emily befriends Clive in her new identity. Fortunately, Clive cannot recognize Emily's new identity. Emily slowly grills Clive to the point where he admits he was with Alison when she died, but he is not responsible for her drowning. Emily gets angry and reveals her identity as Claire, but Clive insists he never killed Alison. According to Clive, he left Alison drunk, and when she drowned, she could not rescue herself due to intoxication. Despite her resilience to know the truth, Emily fails to know what exactly happened to her sister, Alison.

The novel concludes with Emily resuming her original name, Claire, and accepting that she will never know the truth about Alison's death. Clair's bold step to reclaiming her original identity is emblematic because it represents her new beginning as she starts a new life and leaves her late sister's spirit behind.