See What I Have Done - Sarah Schmidt
See What I Have Done
Sarah Schmidt
Gore Level:
Overall Rating:
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
About the Book:
See What I Have Done is a fictionalised rewriting of the notorious Borden family murders in 1892. Sarah Schmidt's remarkable writing has the ability to reanimate this gruesome and intriguing event in the history of Fall River, Massachusetts.
The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden, at the heart of the story, was a true crime in Fall River that saw the victim's daughter (*step-daughter to Abby) Lizzie Borden tried and acquitted for their deaths. Themes of sisterhood, corruption, violence, crime and jealousy interweave to form a troubling, yet compelling new look into the infamously gory Borden murders.
We, as readers, observe the characters of Lizzie and Emma Borden, their uncle John, Bridget the maid and the unexpected partial witness, Benjamin, and their roles in the events that preceded and follow the macabre double murder to uncover the murder mystery that confounded the jury during Lizzie Borden's trial. There is a strong sense of unstable moral ground when stepping into this world described by Schmidt creating a number of questions that may cause readers to find their moral compass wavering.
We, as readers, observe the characters of Lizzie and Emma Borden, their uncle John, Bridget the maid and the unexpected partial witness, Benjamin, and their roles in the events that preceded and follow the macabre double murder to uncover the murder mystery that confounded the jury during Lizzie Borden's trial. There is a strong sense of unstable moral ground when stepping into this world described by Schmidt creating a number of questions that may cause readers to find their moral compass wavering.
Do you pity Lizzie?
Were the deaths of Andrew and Abby Borden deserving?
Was Lizzie guilty?
My Thoughts:
When introduced to this book I was intrigued by the author's decision to replace the standard format of a blurb on the back cover with the eerie children's rhyme:
"Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one."
The use of the rhyme was both compelling and chilling, and I must say that the contents of the book certainly followed suit. As a true crime and criminology enthusiast myself, I was delighted to see an adaptation and reimagination of such an interesting, yet fairly overlooked case. Schmidt's dedication to her research of the Borden case led to her spending time in the very house the murder's took place in, this information delighted me and has made me appreciate and adore this book even more.
If it isn't clear yet, I am utterly taken with this novel, I cannot praise Schmidt enough for writing in such an eloquent manner whilst titillating the mind of a morbidly curious reader such as myself. For those who have a similar interest in macabre novels and compelling crime fiction, I would highly recommend this book for you.
If it isn't clear yet, I am utterly taken with this novel, I cannot praise Schmidt enough for writing in such an eloquent manner whilst titillating the mind of a morbidly curious reader such as myself. For those who have a similar interest in macabre novels and compelling crime fiction, I would highly recommend this book for you.
Though this book is phenomenally written, I would caution readers who may not have read explicitly gory novels before as there is a handful of events in this book that those with faint hearts may find disturbing.
Encore?
For those who are interested in the case, want to see a live-action form of the book or even those who prefer the screen to the page, you are in luck!
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles is another wonderful adaptation of the Borden Murder case in which Christina Ricci (a favourite actress of mine in the role of Wednesday Addams) plays the notorious Lizzie Andrew Borden. I would highly recommend this eight-part series but, much like Schmidt's novel, it is not for the faint-hearted and I would advise caution to the young and queasy.
As a final praise to this wonderful author, Sarah Schmidt's ability to write in the voices of a multitude of fascinating and beautifully constructed characters of different ages, genders and viewpoints is incredible and well mastered, I am excited to read more of her work.
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