Review: See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

See What I Have Done by Sarah  Schmidt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As soon as I heard that a novel was coming out that was based on Lizzie Borden, I was IN! Given that I’m fascinated by these sorts of crimes, I was eager to see what she made of the events. This novel is such an interesting take on a murder case that has fascinated people for YEARS! Although it doesn’t take a stand in terms of who committed the crime itself, this book really takes a close look at the Borden household and a family that was volatile and ugly. As a result, the book gives you more information about what could have been happening and how various pieces of the case could be looked at through a variety of lenses.

The story is told from four perspectives which shift throughout the novel – Lizzie, her sister Emma, the housemaid Bridget and a stranger named Benjamin. From each of these perspectives, the reader gets to watch the events of the Borden story as they are unfolding through time. I loved how different each perspective was … yet Schmidt pulls all of the disseminated fragments together in the end in a satisfactory way.

The tone of the novel feels very odd, almost foggy and dreamlike. There is an ominous feel to the writing and the story which are reinforced by the details of each person’s experience. The images were so dreamy and yet vivid for me – for example, the mutton soup that is always on the stove, being eaten by the family each day despite it not being kept cold. Another reviewer called the book a fever dream which I think is the perfect way to capture how the book feels as you read.

The exploration of family and familial relationships through the Borden family was rather disturbing – such a ‘upstanding’ family yet they were extremely dysfunctional and unstable in so many ways. Once you better understand the family dynamics, it’s easy to understand why this family and the murder of the father and stepmother have captivated people for over 100 years.
All in all, this is a deeply unsettling novel that will feel as if it’s haunting you in a way. I kept thinking over the novel for days after finishing, thinking through my own theories of what may have actually taken place. Really great novel – well written, well imagined. Highly recommend this one!

NOTE: Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of the book for an honest review!