Customer Reviews

The Saskiad: A Novel

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...meaning, in this case, quite a bit of self-healing and taking a good hard look at her life. It's hard enough to grow through the years of adolescence without the obstacles and hinderances that she encounters in this distrubing but well-written coming of age novel. Some books are more difficult than others when it comes to writing reviews and opinions without throwing out spoilers -- I'll give it a shot, because I feel this is an important book.

Saskia is one the most unique, likable characters I've come across in literature. She's intelligent, incredibly imaginative, resilient to an amazing degree, and sensitive. She hasn't had it easy. Her mother is a well-meaning flake who is almost not there at all for her, and her long-absent father, who deigns from time to time to post brief, meaningless missives from the far corners of the earth to his abandoned family has issues of his own -- for the sake of those who have not read the book, I'll leave it at that.

Saskia's imagination deserves special mention. Brian Hall has done an incredible job with this aspect of the book -- the language he has chosen for her complements and illustrates her thought processes to a level that I felt like I was privy to her thoughts as they were occurring. She is given a heavy load of responsibilities in caring for the other children who live on the run-down former commune in rural upstate New York, where most of the book takes place. She has been a loner for most of her life -- she is looked upon as an oddity at school. When a new student arrives, and she and Saskia form an almost instantly close bond of friendship, it's a life-chaging experience for her. It is especially admirable that Hall, writing as a male, has homed in so accurately and believably on the bond between these two young girls -- his skills as a writer are impressive, firm and confident, but never forceful. His use of language is extraordinary.

Saskia's real trials -- and much of her real happiness -- begin with the arrival of her long-absent father. His return marks a turning point in her life, in her outlook on the world, in her understanding of life itself. As she and her new friend embark upon an adventure -- and quite an adventure it is -- with her father, we can almost feel the growth in her, both physically and emotionally, thanks to Hall's narrative and descriptive skills.

Suffice to say at this point that Saskia's life takes a radical turn -- considering her upbringing, it's not too much of a surprise. One of the most uplifting aspects of this story is the strength of character and determination that the young heroine demonstrates. Despite the perils and pitfals that await her, we sense that she's going to come out of it stronger than ever.

I suppose one thing that makes this book a bit disturbing to me in some ways is that I'm the father of a 15 year-old girl -- it's a little hard to watch someone so close to her age (Saskia is 12-13 during this story) go through so much. Life is sometimes harrowing.

Overall, I must say that this is an uplifting story -- it's very well-written and voiced, compelling and entertaining. There were some characters of whom I was suspicious as soon as they appeared -- I won't identify them, but my suspicions proved correct. You should read this for yourself -- it's a journey you'll remember for some time.

This story begins by introducing the reader to Saskia White, a creative, intelligent 12-year-old with a rich inner life composed of imaginary friends from the past and an interest in a variety of fields from astronomy to history. She is unique among her classmates for being an unrepentant nonconformist, and as such is ostracized by everyone at school.

Saskia's life begins to change when she connects with the more world-wise Jane and begins to explore more things external to herself: how suburban people live outside of her ex-hippie commune, the beginnings of sexual exploration, how to share herself with someone who she feels won't betray her.

The story starts getting bizarre when Saskia's AWOL father Thomas reenters the picture. In his absence, Saskia has raised him to almost god-like status, a figure of goodness who will harm no one. Thomas indeed portrays himself as a gentle eco-savior when he takes Saskia and Jane on a trip to save a river from being dammed, but he soon reveals a darker side as he seduces 13-year-old Jane (which Saskia perversely encourages) and eventually turns out to be nothing that he's portrayed himself as.

Upon their return home, Saskia breaks with Jane, who has become a blind devotee to Thomas even when he puts her aside, and begins a downward slide into disillusionment, ending up as manipulative a figure as Thomas. Along the way she starts conforming to the teen stereotype, losing many of the characteristics that endeared her to the reader in the beginning. Saskia travels to New York City on her own, where she becomes soulless as her inner life devolves into an ever-spreading patchwork of lies that devours others. Only in the end, upon returning home, does she somewhat come around, but by then she is a shadow of her former intelligent, uncompromising character. Perhaps this coming-of-age story does reflect the reality of life for many young people, but it makes for a rather depressing read by the end of the book.

Hall's characters can be somewhat twisted (this was also true in his previous novel "The Dreamers"), which makes the reader question what his own inner life is like. His style of writing is unique, however, as he brings back potent, descriptive images from earlier in the story, as if they're cycling again and again through Saskia's brain. This draws the reader back again and again to the book (I have reread this book a number of times), each time piecing together more of the previously missed elements; this is truly what makes the book worthwhile, even given the repulsive qualities of some of the characters and Saskia's ultimate personal decline.

In the first part of _The Saskiad_, Brian Hall convincingly creates the internal world of a deeply dissatisfied, highly intelligent teenage girl. It's cliche-free, sophisticated, and amazingly complete, and Hall presents it in a marvellous third-person interior prose style that seems to flow straight from Saskia's head --- think of Joyce's _Portrait of the Artist_, but with a much more likeable main character.

When Saskia's long-absent father suddenly returns to remove her from the isolation of her school and her mother's ex-commune, her fantasies of adventure and paternal companionship seem to be coming true; their sweetness makes it all the more wrenching for us when his selfishness and hypocrisy finally shatter them. Hall does not shy away from this destruction, but doesn't lapse into cynicism either. The result is a novel that neither crucifies its main character nor condescends to her; we love her, but we see what has to happen to her in the real world.

It's natural for some readers to expect a novel with a plucky 13-year-old protagonist to be aimed at the "safe" moral instruction of young adults, along the lines of Harper Lee's _To Kill a Mockingbird_, but that really isn't Hall's intention here. This is serious, unsentimental literary fiction that doesn't censor, patronize, or flinch --- and, after all, why should a "coming of age" story be taken seriously if the characters and the narrative itself remain naive? Read _The Saskiad_ yourself --- it's brilliant, one of the best American novels of the 90s. And if you happen to have a teenage daughter or son who is sensitive and mature enough to appreciate it, by all means let them read it --- you should be proud.

I have certain problems with this book, but nonetheless i have returned to read it several times. I think the first half of the book is wonderful: Hall's lyrical description in particular lets the reader into Saskia's vivid and imaginative world. However, the last half (or perhaps more accurately, 1/3) of the book degenerates into a somewhat stereotypical teenage existence, with Saskia losing her ties to the qualities that initially made her charming and spiraling downward into a wanna-be [promiscuous person] and adept liar. The book is divided up into several sections by the names of characters dealt with therein, and the last section is "Saskia" herself, but by then i didn't even like her enough to really care.

The end seems inconclusive in my mind; i hoped for more solid closure and perhaps a reversion to her "true" self. As it was, i was left no longer caring about Saskia or her "i'm a rebellious teen" exploits.

Brian Hall does shape dialogue well and get into the voice of such diverse characters as Saskia's seen-it-all activist father and her young brother Quinny; those elements make the book particularly enjoyable.

I think this is a terrific book and far above the usual dreck published and "critically acclaimed." If I were a kid when I read it, I would have gone around for a period of time privately pretending to be Saskia.

However, there were two things that took me aback.

One is the heroine's apparent blaseness about her best friend having an affair with her (much adored) father. I can't think of ANY teenage girl who'd push her friend into her dad's tent on a camping trip and snuggle up in her sleeping bag in satisfaction at the thought of them sleeping together. That seemed to reveal that the author was a male with all the typical male attitudes toward sex. I had a friend in an almost identical situation in high school and she was thoroughly grossed out.

Two, I couldn't buy Saskia's sudden rise to high school popularity. She seemed far too introverted, eccentric and strong willed to even consider it or be able to achieve it in the first place. Her reasons for trying it were weak, almost nonexistent. Perhaps she was trying, unconsciously or not, to get her dad to notice her, but this was never really explored. If she was doing it for an experiment, it seemed like there were far more worthy things that would capture her imagination. The first half of the book proved this.

Still I give it four stars because there are so few amazing female characters in fiction nowadays.

I absolutely love the main character of this story, Saskia. She is imaginative, creative, well-read, and intelligent, but not at all pretencious or snobby. Her loneliness is palpable, her daydreams and imaginary forays are excellent. Saskia is a truly wonderful character, and her alienation from the rest of society is realistic and heartbreaking and completely understandable.

The first part of this book was wonderful, if at times a wee bit confusing and slow, but the moment Saskia's father, Thomas, steps in, the whole novel goes to hell. However, this is probably Brian Hall's intention. Saskia changes, tries to fit in, evolves, fails, runs away, everything, when her horrible, amoral, narcisistic father enters the story. It's almost like two stories got thrown together, but somehow Hall makes it all work, and the very ending is excellently done, if a bit dark and depressing. I wanted more when the book ended. If that isn't reason enough for five stars and a hearty recommendation, I don't know what is.

I teach English to secondary school students,

and started The Saskiad with high hopes,

overjoyed at the prospect of being able to

recommend it to students. However, as I read

it, I became convinced that it is NOT an appropriate

book for any but the most mature teenagers.

While Hall writes beautifully, the characters

(especially Saskia) are captivating, and the

structure is imaginatively conceived, I can

recommend it only to adult readers, and even

then with reservations. It is intriguing, and

the first two segments are wonderful, but the

dark underbelly of this story--although it is a

valid match for the literary theme of lost innocence--

is not something I would want a teenager to read

without support from another reader. There

certainly are some teens who can handle it

without difficulty, though; if you are considering

selecting this book for your teenager, think about

that reader's maturity and open-mindedness.

Topics include pedophilia (Jane is only 13-14),

drugs, and promiscuity, and the text even makes a

liminal examination of incest. Selecting interesting

and challenging new literature for intellectually

adventurous teenagers is extremely difficult, and

I am always wary of those who would censor

works that stretch the bubble of acceptibility. In

good conscience, though, I must state my caveat

to any parent or person who thinks that this is a

thoroughly harmless and gentle coming-of-age novel.

It is harsh in a way that is literarily challenging but

also (potentially) emotionally challenging.

Caveats aside, Hall's overall effort makes for an interesting read.

Saskia's fantasy incursions into her literary world

might be confusing at first (narrative shifts tend to be),

but it is worth the effort to get into this novel

I recently assigned Brian Hall's wonderful coming-of-age novel THE SASKIAD in a freshman literature class. The book provided a very fertile ground for discussions about families, friends, relationships, and, particularly, imagination. The students were fascinated by Saskia's colorful and epic allusions, and several class discussions of the themes in Homer's ODYSSEY (as well as reading a few key excerpts) intensified the book's effect. This book proved to be an ideal choice for young college students; in fact, several of the students recommended THE SASKIAD to other friends not taking our class. I consider such recommendations a definitive measure of a successful text! As for myself, I happened to be teaching THE ODYSSEY in a World Literature class during the same term, and each of the two works resonated back and forth, further enriching my own enjoyment--not only as a teacher but as a reader who loves powerful, beautifully crafted prose.

This story takes us into the mind of Saskia, a precocious 12-year-old on familiar terms with such historical and literary greats as Odysseus, Marco Polo, and C.S. Forester's Captain Hornblower. This is the best new book I've read in a long time. Saskia is a true female hero for the 90's. The parallels with the ODYSSEY are easy to spot and amusing. You may even be compelled (as I was) to read some of the source material ! Enthralling, brilliant ... reminds us that books can still express some things better than movies.

This book has the stuff! A wonderful story (easily double in scope compared to what many other contemporary authors are delivering), terrific writing, and a message which so many people can appreciate. In this book, Brian Hall has given us the character of Saskia and breathed such life into her and the others around her. Everything rings true -- which is amazing for a book which deals so fully with this young girl's illusions and her fantasies. This book captures with amazing adeptness that passage from childhood to young adulthood during which one's early views of the world are overthrown and replaced by more complex answers and more complete understandings -- when we learn that there are not always answers to all of our questions. Hall has done exemplary work. This is writing that shows mastery of the craft but never bores us with pointless exercises in technique. What a masterwork of integration, as well. Hall has taken a collection of source material, a selection of brilliant ideas and woven them together into a beautiful book!