How does the use of an omniscient narrator in the first and last chapters effect the narrative? Why is it important that the novel begins and ends on Saint X?

How does Clive and Edwin’s relationship mirror the relationship between Claire and Alison? Does Clive have any complicity in Alison’s death? Why or why not?

In the author’s note, Alexis Schaitkin says that Saint X is a fictional island, based on extensive research. What are the cultural and ethical implications of inventing a Caribbean island with its own history and demographics?