Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

"Stories...are our Achilles' heel. Our desperation for them leads us to live in a perpetual state of delusion...Stories lead us to the truth and they lead us astray, and how are we to  know the difference?"

Claire Thomas is a young adult living in New York City when an unexpected meeting finally gives her a chance to find out what happened to her older sister, Alison, who died when their family was on a vacation to Saint X in the Caribbean when Claire was 7 years old. There had always been more questions than answers and the unsolved mystery of Alison's death had stunted Claire's life. How did Alison die? Was she murdered? Two initial suspects were cleared and it was eventually ruled a tragic accident though the Thomas family believed the police investigation was completely inadequate and hampered by the fear of bad publicity for the island that relied on tourism. Will the stories she hears be the truth and what will happen if she finally knows. NO SPOILERS.

I loved the way this novel unfolded with the multiple points of view and the time shifts. Recognizing that this style might put others off, I feel that it allowed the narrative to offer the revelations in just the most tantalizing way. The descriptions and details brought the places to vivid life and kept me fully engaged. I read this more slowly than I usually do in order to completely appreciate the way that time affected the storytelling. This is not a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, but a slow burner of a drama that reflects the nature of coming of age and full of poignant emotion. The characterization was well done and I personally didn't see this as a study of race or privilege, but more the analysis of after effects of a shared tragedy. Claire wanted to know what happened to her sister so she could live in a different aftermath -- "no longer the aftermath of Alison's death."

Thank you to NetGalley and Picador for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - mystery, coming of age, tragedy