See What I Have Done

Sarah Schmidt's debut novel revisits the unsolved 1892 Lizzie Borden murders through multiple perspectives. The story centers on Lizzie Borden and her family in the days before and after her father and stepmother were found dead in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. The narrative shifts between four characters: Lizzie herself, her sister Emma, their Irish maid Bridget, and a stranger named Benjamin. Through their interlinked accounts, the reader experiences the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Borden household and the events surrounding the murders. Schmidt reconstructs the historical details of the case while exploring themes of family dysfunction, repression, and violence in late 19th century America. Her interpretation of this infamous true crime case examines the complex relationships between sisters, the constraints placed on women in Victorian society, and the dark undercurrents that can exist within seemingly respectable homes.

Readers found this reimagining of the Lizzie Borden case atmospheric and unsettling. Many reviewers highlighted Schmidt's visceral descriptions and unique multiple-perspective approach that created psychological tension. Likes: - Raw, intimate writing style - Historical details and period authenticity - Character development, especially Bridget and Benjamin - Effective building of claustrophobic atmosphere Dislikes: - Repetitive descriptions of bodily functions and fluids - Slow pacing in middle sections - Confusing timeline jumps - Some found the stream-of-consciousness style hard to follow "The sensory details were overwhelming at times - I could smell and taste everything," noted one Amazon reviewer. Another on Goodreads said "The narrative style made me feel trapped in the characters' heads." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (28,000+ ratings) Amazon: 3.9/5 (500+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.7/5 (300+ ratings) The book won Australia's 2018 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year.

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🔍 Author Sarah Schmidt first learned about Lizzie Borden when she was 16 through a ghost book, and later had a vivid dream about Lizzie sitting at the foot of her bed, prompting her to write the novel 🏠 The book took Schmidt 11 years to complete, during which time she slept at the actual Lizzie Borden house-turned-museum in Fall River, Massachusetts 🗞️ The real Lizzie Borden case generated more newspaper coverage than the Jack the Ripper murders that occurred just four years earlier ✍️ Schmidt wrote much of the novel using method writing techniques, including eating a rotten pear to accurately describe its taste, as pears feature prominently in the story ⚖️ Though Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders in 1893, the book offers multiple perspectives on the crime, allowing readers to form their own conclusions about her guilt or innocence