The Saskiad

...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

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 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 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 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!