The Saskiad - Brian Hall

The Saskiad is a female coming-of-age story about the precocious Saskia, a twelve year old who lives with her mother, several other adults, and numerous children in a commune-like house in upstate New York. Saskia is a voracious reader, and she describes her world as though she were living in an imaginary land. The first third of the book is written in very imaginative prose. Saskia fancies herself a bit of an Odysseus, embarking on adventures, preventing mutinies, and trying to figure out answers to all her questions of identity. Then, out of the blue, Saskia's father Thomas invites her to spend the summer with him. She brings her new friend Jane, and the three set out over land and sea to save the world. Saskia struggles with her sexuality throughout the novel, while her father crosses boundaries, and her mother remains constantly unable to protect Saskia because of her own delusions. This book is beautifully written, though the style changes dramatically from the first third through the rest of the novel. The relationships among the characters is often uncomfortable, but not unrealistic. Though by no means perfect, I still felt reading this was like discovering a lost treasure.