#BookReview | See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

Title: See What I Have Done
By: Sarah Schmidt
Genre: Historical Thriller
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 1st, 2017
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Audience: Adult

Summary from Goodreads: “Eerie and compelling, Sarah Schmidt breathes such life into the terrible, twisted tale of Lizzie Borden and her family, she makes it impossible to look away.” —Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water

In this riveting debut novel, See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt recasts one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time into an intimate story of a volatile household and a family devoid of love.

On the morning of August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden calls out to her maid: Someone’s killed Father. The brutal ax-murder of Andrew and Abby Borden in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts, leaves little evidence and many unanswered questions. While neighbors struggle to understand why anyone would want to harm the respected Bordens, those close to the family have a different tale to tell—of a father with an explosive temper; a spiteful stepmother; and two spinster sisters, with a bond even stronger than blood, desperate for their independence.

As the police search for clues, Emma comforts an increasingly distraught Lizzie whose memories of that morning flash in scattered fragments. Had she been in the barn or the pear arbor to escape the stifling heat of the house? When did she last speak to her stepmother? Were they really gone and would everything be better now? Shifting among the perspectives of the unreliable Lizzie, her older sister Emma, the housemaid Bridget, and the enigmatic stranger Benjamin, the events of that fateful day are slowly revealed through a high-wire feat of storytelling.
 


Review: The creepiest book I've read all year. I know the story of Lizzie Borden, but I've never heard it told like this. The story gives a lot of background into what lead up to the murders, and takes you on an emotional ride as Emma comes to the realization that her sister is the one who did it. This book was a roller coaster of emotions and thrills. Loved it.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.




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