With 9.8 million copies of her books in print, Sarah Dessen is the queen of YA fiction, and has been for a long time. Summer vacation has become ubiquitous with reading a Sarah Dessen novel. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996. Nearly 20 years later, her latest YA novel, Saint Anything, is both classic Sarah Dessen and yet, something new and different—another direction that she is turning towards. Yes, like any good YA, there is a little bit of romance, but at its heart, Saint Anything is about a family trying to piece together their lives after the eldest son, Peyton, is incarcerated.
There are multiple layers to this story, and reading it feels like watching a chess game with many players moving forwards and backwards, and where the wrong move might prove fatal.
Saint Anything is told from Sydney’s point of view. She is trying to come to terms with the fact that her mother cannot seem to accept that her golden son did anything wrong. In the meantime, she attends a new school and makes new friends, but she’s not sure who she can trust with the story about her brother.
Darker than her previous novels, Saint Anything will keep you up at night (literally—you won’t want to put it down), but it also might be one of the most honest portrayals of people who don’t see the truth that is right in front of them, and how the people we love are flawed.
Beautifully written, Saint Anything may be Dessen’s most powerful YA novel yet. And truly, it’s not summer without a Sarah Dessen novel, so pick up a signed copy at Lemuria to start your summer reading.
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