Saint Anything: Good, But Lacking Miracles
In Sarah Dessen’s new novel, we find the same thing we always find: a teenaged girl going through a big change. Sydney is used to living in her brother Peyton’s shadow. When Peyton goes to jail for paralyzing a boy while driving drunk, Sydney is left to pick up the pieces. Feeling adrift in a sea of denial and guilt, Sydney goes in search of a place where she will be accepted. This search leads her to the Chathams, a quirky family who immediately welcomes her into their circle. With the help of her new best friend Layla and her love interest Mac, Sydney goes on a journey of self-discovery and finds both her identity and her place in the world.
As far as novels about self-discovery go, Saint Anything lives up to the usual standards. Sydney is a relatable protagonist and I could empathize with her and relate to her struggle. Being a teenager is already hard. Pile that on top of having a troubled sibling who still gets all the attention and you’ve got a pretty lousy situation. I spent most of the novel wanting to give Sydney a hug, which is good because it means she’s a pretty realistic character.
Dessen did a great job of spreading unique little icebreaker scenes throughout the novel. Because of Sydney’s situation at home, this book is filled with tension and frustration, both of which slow down the plot. By throwing in these little scenes, Dessen breaks the tension and lets the reader relax a little bit so they stay engaged with the story. For example, there is a scene where Sydney’s new friends lead her to an abandoned carousel they found in the woods. The group just sits in the woods and exists in a place separate from all the drama that Sydney is dealing with at home. It’s a soothing and almost spiritual moment and Dessen’s descriptions are very vivid and interesting. Scenes like this really help keep us engaged, even when things get pretty heavy.
All in all, there were only two major parts of Saint Anything that could have been better. One thing is how Dessen begins the novel. The first few chapters are spent powering through some backstory, detailing how Peyton went from being the perfect child to a troubled teenager. This makes reading the beginning of the book feel like you’ve walked into a movie late and someone has to catch you up on what’s happened so far. All this exposition slows down the beginning of the book and I kept wondering when the story was actually going to start.
The only other problem was the fact that some of the characters are a little too good to be true. Sure, I would love for Layla Chatham to be real. She’s loyal, wacky, adventurous, the perfect best friend and rescuer. And having Mac as a boyfriend would be amazing. Not only is he a hunk, but he’s also incredibly sensitive and protective. Basically, Sydney goes out looking for an emotional support system and hits the jackpot. It would be amazing if this happened in real life, but considering that every member of their family is as supportive and cool as Layla and Mac, it just doesn’t seem realistic.
Saint Anything is perfect for quick, casual reading. It’s relatable and even touching at times. Even though everything isn’t perfect at the end, there’s still a sense of closure that you rarely get in novels in general, let alone in ones about self-discovery. I have to say, that’s pretty satisfying. Sarah Dessen has written somewhere around 12 or 13 other novels, the most popular of which are Just Listen and The Truth About Forever, if you want to check out some of her other work.