Saint X

Chapter 6 returns to Clive’s third-person perspective, just after Claire has yelled his nickname. This reminder of Clive’s past profoundly rattles him; it has the power to haunt him if he lets it.

Clive’s father died when Clive was four, and Clive was raised by his mother in Bendy Harbour until she got work off the island, at which point he moved in with his grandmother in Horatio Byrd. With his mother, he was often left at home unsupervised, while his grandmother imposed strict routines and fed him home-cooked meals. Clive liked these routines, such as saying psalms and making his bed.

Clive reminisces about the evenings he used to spend with his mother and other community members. They told stories at Sunday-night gatherings, and Clive’s favorite story was about a long-haired woman with hooves for feet who lived on Faraway Cay.

After moving in with his grandmother Clive started second grade at Horatio Byrd primary. He was shy and stuttered. On his first day, he struggled to ask to use the bathroom, stuttering on the word “go,” and Edwin gave him the nickname “Gogo.” After this, Edwin brought Clive into his friend group.

The resorts had not yet come to Saint X, so Clive and his friends spent time on the undeveloped south shores.