Hulu's 'Saint X' Is More Than Just a "Dead White Girl" Tale Is It Based on a Book?

Hulu's murder-mystery miniseries 'Saint X' examines the aggravating aftermath of a teenager's puzzling dying all over a Caribbean vacay. Is it based on a book?

How far would you go to uncover the truth about your sibling's mysterious dying? Authorities deeming the tragedy "an accident" is neither here nor there when so many questions are left unanswered.

Hulu's restricted collection Saint X "explores and upends the girl-gone-missing genre" as it follows a paradisal Caribbean circle of relatives holiday gone improper. Free-spirited tourist Alison Thomas's (West Duchovny) beach volleyball a laugh and boy-crazy escapades are minimize brief when she vanishes. After the police to find the white youngster's frame days later, a media firestorm ensues.

Years after the devastating incident, Alison's now-grown sister, Claire — who modified her title to Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey) — unearths herself caught previously, desperate to resolve the mystery of her older sister's 2005 death.

"My sister's murder was headline news for years. Sometimes it feels like the whole world knows more than I do," Emily says within the trailer.

With true-crime documentaries, podcasts, and miniseries more in style than ever (as is missing white woman syndrome), it's easy to suppose Saint X is another "based on a true story" shocker. In this situation, then again, the bleak tale is based on a best-selling book.

Hulu's 'Saint X' is based on the best-selling book of the same title by Alexis Schaitkin.

From creator Leila Gerstein (Hart of Dixie) and director Dee Rees (Mudbound), Hulu's Saint X is an adaptation of author Alexis Schaitkin's thrilling 2020 debut novel.

According to Alexis's website, Saint X was once named a "Notable Book of 2020" via The New York Times and has been translated into seven languages. It's described as "a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another."

While a lot of the Hulu series stays true to Alexis's story, RogerEbert.com's Clint Worthington points to the eight-episode show's need to offer concrete solutions, which works against the book's intentions.

"The point wasn’t to solve Alison’s murder but to examine how these people — not just Emily/Claire, but the dozens of folks whose worlds were shattered as a result—move on with their lives in the absence of such clarity," he wrote of the book. He believes the definitive reveals make the Hulu version "far less interesting as a result."

Executive manufacturer Leila Gerstein was once drawn to 'Saint X' because of its distinctive take on the media's fascination with "dead white girls."

Rather than painting Alison as an ethereal, well, saint, Saint X injects some much-needed realism into the "dead white girl" narrative.

"We're seeing not just Alison — and we're seeing her not as this perfect girl," Leila Gerstein stated in an interview with Good Morning America, in keeping with ABC News. "We will come to see [she] is a bit of a mess and has her own issues and her own problems."

The forged and creators were amazed at Alexis's skill to shatter expectancies.

"I love the subversion of the narrative of the book," mentioned Jayden Elijah (The Last Tree). He additionally stated, "You open it, you think that's gonna be one thing. And it's very much so not gonna be that thing." Jayden plays hotel worker and suspect Edwin Hastie.

With over 300 pages of puzzle, grieving, and ripple effect, Saint X gives readers a entire, nuanced view of Alison as a individual. The sequence handiest provides audience a peek into Alison's character during the times leading up to her premature demise. For West Duchovny (A Mouthful of Air), this used to be a challenge.

"With the book, you get a little bit more of Alison," she mentioned. "But in the show, you get her for those eight days that she's on vacation. So for me, it was such a challenge and so important to me. Like how can I do justice to this character within these parameters?"

Regarding the ethical of the tale, Josh Bonzie (The Posthuman Project) — who plays hotel worker and suspect Clive Richardson — believes Saint X highlights the importance of analyzing preconceived notions and impulsivity.

"The big message I took away is that sometimes in our rush to understand something or place blame or judgment, we fail to see things as they actually are," Josh Bonzie stated.

"There's kind of a funhouse mirror effect that happens when a tragedy occurs. We're so quick to be like, who did this, who's responsible? And we will place blame anywhere."

With themes tackling race and class issues (particularly white privilege) and the lasting results of trauma, Saint X is a lot more than your typical murder mystery.

New episodes of Saint X premiere on Wednesdays on Hulu.

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