<I>See What I Have Done</I> by Sarah Schmidt

<b>Star rating</b>: ★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

<b>Format</b>: ebook galley

<b>Summary</b>: Told through four different perspectives, this book recounts the events of what happened in the Borden house the day of the two famous murders.

<b>Review</b>: I received a galley copy of this book for review from NetGalley.

I don't know about any of you but Lizzie Borden fascinates me, which made me excited about this book when I heard about it. My greatest fear was that the book would try to make Lizzie seem innocent but luckily it doesn't, not really. Lizzie is very unreliable as a narrator and the story is framed in a way that makes me think she went into some dissociative state during the murders.

I didn't like the inclusion of the character Benjamin, a man John hires to "take care of" a drew Borden. I felt his perspective and own story muddied up the main plot. I didn't really care about anything that happened to him. He was distracting and mostly unnecessary to the story. His perspective is how we see the trial and I would have preferred to read about that from either of the three women's.

There was a lot of odd things in this book. Lizzie's POV is just bizarre, she's often imagining oceans in rooms or even dresses. I guess it's to try to hint she's not quite all there? It was frustrating for sure.

This book has an odd fascination with licking. Everyone is licking things, Lizzie remembers licking a hat she saw on her grand tour of Europe (??), but the most overpowering is Lizzie and Benjamin are always licking up any blood they see. Usually not their own. It was so weird and I do not understand what this licking theme was trying to convey aside from adding a gross factor, I suppose?

I liked the book but Lizzie's frustrating perspective definitely kept me from rating it higher than three stars. I think the story almost could have been told without her POV even. But that's just my feeling on it.

<b>Review</b>: If you're a fan of true crime (hey murderinos), I think this book if worth a read. It was a quick read for me and overall it was enjoyable, just some things frustrated me.

I have read many Lizzie Borden books and have visited her family home. See what I have done provides a thoughtful, perspective and approach. Sarah's Lizzie is a strong, flawed character and her research is precise. Very enjoyable

I started See What I Have Done with high expectations, but the story ultimately fell flat for me. Lizzie's point of view was childish and creepy, but it wasn't captivating, and Bridget's point of view dragged very heavily. Also, Benjamin seemed to add nothing to the story. In the end, I decided not to finish this story after getting slightly less than halfway through it.

This was the second book that I have read regarding the Lizzie Borden murders. It's funny every time I think about those murders, I see Elizabeth Montgomery playing Lizzie from the movie I saw years ago.

Well back to this book, oh please no!!!!!

I tried to like this book and overlook all the times the word "vomit" was used and all the grossly descriptions that came with that word. I finally had to say "no more".

While I did read 30% of the book, I found myself more grossed out than interested.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I had really high hopes for this novel but unfortunately, it didn't live up to all of my expectations. While I don't think this was a bad book, it had quite a few flaws that made it an unremarkable read for me. For one thing, I found it very difficult to characterize Lizzie. She is clearly an adult but the way she speaks and acts is very childlike. If the author's attempt was to make Lizzie creepy, well, it worked. But it also made it very confusing because I just couldn't understand what went on in her mind. Perhaps the author was hinting that Lizzie might not be a fully-developed adult in terms of her mental acuity, in which case this characterization works. But it just didn't work for me. Now, the author did a really great job of portraying how different the family dynamics were in the Borden residence compared to most other Victorian families. I mean, the fact that there are 2 spinster daughters was in itself unusual as families back then were very eager to wed eligible daughters. The controlling demeanour of the father and the stepmother's attitude were also interesting details that the author put into the story. I think my favorite character in the entire story was Bridget - because she was the only sane person! At many points in the story, I found it an uphill battle to continue pushing through. There were certain details that I really found boring or unnecessary and some perspectives just weren't that interesting to me. However, as the second half of the book progressed, I will admit that the author dialed up the tension and my intrigue came back. I quite liked the way the author ended the story, as it went along with my own thoughts about this case. Overall, this novel was an interesting retelling of the Borden murders but the characters felt off and some parts of the novel dragged on. I would give this a 2.5/5 stars!

See What I have Done by Sarah Schmidt is a 2017 Atlantic Monthly Press publication.

After seeing some reviews for this book pop up on Goodreads and realizing the book was based on the infamous Lizzie Borden murders, I knew I had to read it.

For decades, I have been fascinated by the Borden murders, never quite sure if I fully believed in Lizzie’s guilt or innocence. I’ve read true crime and historical fiction based on Lizzie or the murders in general. Some of these novels are quite convincing, for one side or the other, and entirely plausible, while others are so far fetched I barely recognize the central characters. The same can be said for true crime books which also tend to lean to one side or the other and like to add, or leave out, any evidence that doesn’t fit their narrative.

Still, I never pass up the chance to read a book about the murders, fiction or nonfiction. This newest look at the day the Borden’s died and the subsequent fallout, is a work of fiction, and it appears to have received a few mixed reviews.

Initially, my personal experience with the novel, was one of boredom. The only interesting cog in the wheel was the arrival of Lizzie’s uncle on her mother’s side of the family, which explores a theory only some give credence to. I was glad the author decided to explore that angle, and the question of what John's motive may have been.

Other than that, there wasn’t much here I had not heard before, and many times it reminded me of the old made for television movie starring Elizabeth Montgomery. The speculation was different, but the characters and the family dynamics were very similar, as was the overall atmosphere.

However, towards the last quarter of the book, things really started to perk up. At one point, a chill went down my spine, literally.

The author doesn’t attempt to solve the riddle, instead leaving the reader, once again, to spend their spare time mulling over the evidence presented, which left plenty of room for reasonable doubt.

Although the book raised some interesting questions and presented some unexplored theories, and the author did a fair job of recreating the intense hostility and resentment in the Borden household, as well as giving the main players individual and pronounced personalities, there was something missing or lacking along the way that prevented the type of suspenseful build up I was hoping for. Perhaps my familiarity with the case squashed the anticipation aspects just a little, so maybe it was just me.

Still, I think the book was worth the time I invested in it, and it has renewed my interest in this case, causing me to rethink the facts I am one hundred percent sure of. But, at the end of the day, I find myself continuing to waffle, unable or unwilling, to stand on one side of the fence or the other.

The bulk of the book was mildly interesting, and kept me engaged just enough to propel me forward, but by the end, I was feeling much more impressed, and my attention was totally undivided.

So, for that reason, I gave the book a nudge up on the rating scale. - 3.5 stars

See What I Have Done works best for those readers who come to the story relatively innocent. A lack of knowledge about Lizzie, her family, the murders, and the trial will help readers enjoy the story and its multiple what-ifs. However, any readers looking for answers to this famous double murder or looking for a long trial scene may be best served avoiding the story altogether. Ms. Schmidt does not solve any of the mystery; she does not shed new light on it. Rather, she takes the data as it is known and interprets potential scenarios that may explain the murders, Lizzie's conflicting witness statements, and a complete lack of answers about what actually occurred that long ago August day.

For those readers who are like me and are only familiar with the children's rhyme, See What I Have Done fills in those gaps in knowledge. We get a feel for the family dynamic, for Emma's and Lizzie's relationship, for life at the house and in town. We understand the injuries to Mr. and Mrs. Borden, where they were found and how. We gain insight into the confusion after the discovery of the bodies and the police investigation. And we get a small taste of the trial as well as Lizzie's life after it. Granted, most of this is pure speculation on Ms. Schmidt's part, but she creates the story in such a way that it is easy to believe what she presents.

Ms. Schmidt also introduces a shady new character who plays eyewitness to much of what occurs that fateful day, without being an eyewitness to the murders themselves. This character's only purpose is to provide a view of the Borden household from a stranger's perspective; there is no historical context for this character. As such, this additional character causes me more than a little consternation. In a novel where she remains, from what I can tell, fairly close to the actual events, this fictional character seems unnecessary. I can not help but wonder if she could not have done the same thing with existing characters like neighbors or townspeople passing the house. It would change the dynamic of the story to have done so by making the Borden family a bit more sympathetic. As it is, one is left with an impression that pretty much everyone hated everyone else, including extended family, to the point where murder seemed like a great conflict resolution tool.

The other area in which Ms. Schmidt plays is Lizzie's mental health. As with the extra character, I am not certain she is doing the story justice by calling into question Lizzie's mental stability. It is very obvious that Ms. Schmidt believes Lizzie was the only person capable of committing the murders, but there is no indication in any primary documentation that she was suffering from mental health issues. The stream-of-consciousness type quality Ms. Schmidt adds to Lizzie's narrative, the inability to discern between dreams and reality, her selfishness, her fascination with blood and the bodies, and her callousness during the immediate investigation all hint at a level of psychopathy that does not fit with historical witness accounts. While authors of historical fiction are always allowed to play with the truth in order to tell their story, this is one area of author's license which seems to harm Lizzie's story more than help it.

These few concerns were not enough to temper my enjoyment of the story in the end. Rather, I found the details of the murders and the Borden family dynamic fascinating. With a lack of definitive answers, we will never know just who killed Lizzie's father and stepmother, but Ms. Schmidt does a decent job of presenting the known facts. Her version of Lizzie Borden is a damaged soul, searching for love in a household that seemingly provided very little. We will never know just how accurate Ms. Schmidt's vision is, but outside of a few niggling issues with the dramatic license she takes with certain characters, for the most part See What I Have Done is a well-written depiction of August 4, 1892.

Sarah Schmidt’s See What I Have Done is a fictionalized version of the Lizzie Borden Axe Murders. The title of this book is adapted from the famous song, which is about as much as I know about the murders:

"Lizzie Borden took an axe
She gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one.
Lizzie Borden got away
For her crime she did not pay."

See What I Have Done is essentially a story about horrible people as we follow the perspectives of several characters, including Lizzie and Emma Borden, the daughters of Andrew (father) and Abby (step-mother) Borden; Bridget, the Irish housekeeper; and the mysterious Benjamin, who was supposedly hired by their Uncle John to teach their father a lesson. None of these characters have any remotely redeeming qualities, though Bridget is perhaps the most sympathetic. The narration occurs on the days before, during, and after the gruesome murders on August 4, 1982 (and, in one instance, on May 6, 1905).

The style of this book was difficult to get into, and I think I’ve left the story with more questions than I had going in.

My biggest problem with this was how the story itself was told. The narrative of alternating points-of-view was not satisfying and added an edge of discord to the overall story, though perhaps that was the point – creating an atmosphere where none of the characters can be fully trusted. But the grating nature of the telling was too much, and it was often difficult to keep the timeline straight as different characters primarily focused on different days (for example, Lizzie and Emma told of August 4th only, and Bridget and Benjamin told of both August 3rd and 4th. Even when the characters were telling of the events of a particular day, rarely did their narrative stay on that particular day; instead, characters were often reminiscing about years-ago events that maybe somewhat had to do with the story but rarely felt to add anything substantial to the overall plot, except maybe for providing a possible motive for each of the characters?

Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the utter grossness of this book. The characters were often described eating, and they weren’t dainty about it. The author also liked to describe the (gross) smells of the house, like that of blood, vomit, and mutton soup. I’m sure it was her way of “setting the scene,” but I didn’t really want to be there that much. And what was with the characters’ propensity for tasting blood? At one point, in Lizzie’s section, she said:

"I noticed blood on my hands. I licked my fingers, licked them clean."

Sorry, gross.

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t do it for me. From its confusing points-of-view and timeline (which made it feel like a draft rather than a finished story) to the overtly “gross” descriptions, this book fell flat. Granted, there are a lot of people that love it – I seem to be in the minority here – but I personally just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Lizzie Borden is definitely one that has fascinated me since I learned of it years and years ago, so I was really excited to get my hands on an advance copy of this book! The format was very interesting - each chapter is from a different perspective of someone affected by the murders. Most take place in a 3-day time period surrounding the day of the event, but the author also includes later dates with more information.

Overall, this book was okay. For the reasons stated above, I liked it. I feel like it could have been much shorter, though. I feel like it just dragged on and on and on and on and found myself skipping around throughout the last several chapters. It just wasn't enough to keep my attention.

If you know nothing (except maybe the rhyme) about Lizzie Borden go ahead and read this right away. You'll likely find it an intriguing little murder mystery.

If you are obsessed with Lizzie then read this; as I'm sure Sarah Schmidt's take will interest you.

If you know some about Lizzie and the Borden's (watched a documentary or two, like me) then I recommend you read a bit further before deciding if this book is for you.

Certain this is Sarah Schmidt's interpretation of the history many know so well, and that's okay. However that's what you have to remember while you read. This is a Schmidt's interpretation of the evidence (or lack thereof), cast of characters, etc.

I was disappointed that none of Lizzie's trial or those facts that are known from it were truly shared. I'd have liked to know what Schmidt thought Lizzie experienced in jail. However, it may have made it so that it wasn't as ambiguous about who the killer may have been by the end. So I can accept why she didn't delve into this; even if I really wanted her to.

The flow of the story and timeline was a bit of a challenge for me. I felt it was sometimes difficult to realize what events were before the killings, after and in the far future. The dates at the front of chapters didn't help me much as they weren't always adhered to and as an ebook version I couldn't easily flip back to reacquaint myself with the dates.

My opinion on who killed the Borden's has not changed after reading See What I Have Done. I'm not sure Schmidt intends to change anyone's mind which is just fine. That said, I can't deny that Schmidt gave me an explanation to all the questions and odd moments in this historical event. And she strategically leaves it up to the reader to decide if they accept her version of events or not. I do not accept her version of the event 100%; but it certainly gave me some things to think about.

The ax murder of Lizzie Borden’s parents is one of the most fascinating and famous historical crimes of all time. Here it is retold in the intimate tone of a domestic thriller – it is the story of a woman raised in a violent, abusive home who yearns for freedom, and the dysfunctional family that surrounds her.

On August 4th, 1892, the Borden house is shaken by Lizzie’s screams – she has just discovered the bloody body of her deceased father Andrew. As the police arrive and Lizzie is comforted by her sister Emma and their maid Bridget, they soon discover another body upstairs. It belongs to Lizzie’s stepmother Abby, and everyone is shocked that this respected married couple with no known enemies should be brutally murdered. From the outside, the Borden family had seemed perfect, but the reality is very different – an angry father, a cruel stepmother, and the spinster sisters Emma and Lizzie who are desperate to leave home and gain independence, at any cost.

Lizzie’s memories of the morning in question are scattered and unclear, and Emma tries to help her get her story straight. We revisit the crime scene through Lizzie’s troubled eyes, and her balancing act on the edge of madness adds to the unsettling tone of the novel. The events leading up to the double murder are slowly revealed by multiple narrators, including Emma, Bridget, and a mysterious stranger named Benjamin who has unusual insights into the Borden family.

This novel is well-structured and exciting as it exposes the secrets behind the unlikeable Borden family, and it somehow lends sympathy to Lizzie even though she isn’t particularly likeable either. All of the characters are strongly developed, not just Lizzie, which adds to the realism of the story. There is also a solid sense of setting, with sensual descriptions of the sights, smells and (especially) foods that make up the background.

Although Lizzie was tried for the murder of her parents, she was eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence – however, she was convicted by public opinion. See What I Have Done is a true crime story, fictionalized through dreamlike emotion and the saturation of the senses. The missing hours before the discovery of the dead bodies are handled especially well, and the emotions of the survivors are convincing, lending themselves to the haunting atmosphere of this compelling novel.

I received this book from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This book was an enjoyable read. Recommend!

Whether you remember the rhyme of Lizzie Borden and those illustrious whacks, this book will serve to revive that memory. In Aug., 1892, in Fall River, MA, Lizzie Borden screamed out to her maid that her father and stepmother had been brutally murdered. As the story progresses and as the evidence proves to be so scant, t Lizzie is certainly not the only one who could have committed such a heinous crime. Her sister, Emma, their maid, Bridget, their uncle, John, and a sleazy, unhinged man named Benjamin, all play prominent roles in this mystery.
The character development is so well done that it. keeps you guessing from start to finish. Each of us will solve the crime using our own detective skills but will keep thinking about our decision long after.

Interesting, smart alternative history on a case that has seen a century of speculation.

To grow up in Southeastern MA is to be steeped in the lore of Lizzie Borden. Playground chants of "Lizzie Borden took an axe..." were as commonplace as school reports on the notorious double homicide--of which Lizzie was famously acquitted. Aficionados looking for new theories or insights of the case should look elsewhere. However, those looking to be transported to that stifling August and open the door to the Borden home on 2nd Street for a peek inside will find this tale highly satisfying. Visceral, disquieting, sensual, at times almost suffocating; Schmidt manages a story not just of murder, but also of a family in a brutal tailspin. In the end, even if the reader can't identify with this strange cast of characters the highly talented Schmidt succeeds in bringing them back to life.

Reviewed on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2056722227

Very enjoyable historical murder in a similar style to The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.

I thought the book was interested in that it gave the reader the idea that Lizzie Borden may not have killed her dad and stepmother. But I don't like the grisly details!!

#BookReview SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE by Sarah Schmidt
@ikillnovel US @groveatlantic UK @TinderPress

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
~Leo Tolstoy

SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE, Sarah Schmidt's debut novel, examines one of the most infamous true crimes in American history: the axe murders of Andrew and Abigail "Abby" Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4, 1892. Andrew's younger daughter Lizzie was charged and tried for the murders of her father and her step-mother. Schmidt's literary historical thriller is a superb work of realism and naturalism, filled with the kind of details which can lead the reader to learn what actually happened at 230 2nd Street that sweltering summer day. The novel starts with a vengeance, with Lizzie, in the first person, yelling, "Someone's killed Father."

The story unfolds in chronological order, but Schmidt also uses reverse chronology so that the reader can know which events lead up to the murders. Our unreliable narrators, and potential suspects, are, in alternating chapters, four characters: Lizzie (32), Emma Borden (41), Lizzie's sister, Bridget Sullivan (26), the Borden's Irish maid, and Benjamin, a man who has come to Fall River at the behest of someone close to the Borden family. Lizzie is clearly an unstable child-woman still trying to please her father and her step-mother, but also misbehaving and acting in a suspicious manner. Emma has spent her life taking care of her troubled younger sister, giving up any chance of love and marriage, and an escape from her father's gloomy and parsimonious household.

There have been times when Lizzie was away from home that I nursed absence. Always two ways of feeling: relief and loneliness.

Bridget is one of all "the Bridget's," young Irish women who fled Ireland during the 19th century famines and came to work as domestics in the United States. She is overworked and underpaid, and privy to nearly all details of the Borden household. There was a great deal of anti-Catholic nativism occurring in the United States, so Bridget would have been suspected simply for being an Irish immigrant. Benjamin is a mystery man and, perhaps, a dark horse. Could he be the person who broke into the home and stole some mementos a year before?

The novel's pacing, too, depicts the excitement, the horror and the tedium which happens in every crime investigation--and in every unhappy family. The plot evolves firmly from accurate historical accounts of the Borden family, the crimes, and the subsequent trial. The author knows that the devil is in the details. Andrew Borden is wealthy yet frugal. He is sparing with his love as well. Emma and Lizzie are two adult daughters living at home, spinsters in a time when middle-class women were married and living with husbands and children in their own homes. Abby is Andrew's second wife, and her relationship with her step-daughters is difficult. There are too many hens and impotence rules the roost. Money could easily have been the main motive, but the ever-present tension in the household could have driven someone to murder.

Yet, of course, this is a work of fiction, of literary fiction and of crime fiction. Schmidt's lyrical and beautiful prose captures both the striking and the mundane which occur before, during and after the murders. Her powerful interpretation of these people and events is fueled by a deep understanding of how petty conflicts and co-dependence accumulate until there is a need for some sort of resolution, release and relief. Unfortunately for Andrew and Abby, the catharsis resulted in their deaths.

SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE is an extraordinary novel which shines light on the iconic crime, the darkness within families and the human soul, and the banality of evil. Sarah Schmidt is a gifted and intelligent writer. She is a major new talent, and I await her next novel eagerly.

Highly Recommended.


Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this novel through NetGalley. SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE was published in the United States on August 1, 2017. SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE UK

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish See What I Have Done.

Why?

Because I knew how it was going to end and I hated every single character. Books can be good if the characters are unlikeable, but this one just didn’t grab me. Perhaps because the timing also confused me. In spite of the fact that it was recommended by Entertainment Weekly, it was Historical Fiction and True Crime, I just didn’t like it. I’m sure other people will, though!