See what I have done

Title:

Author:

Schmidt, Sarah

ISBN:

9781472240859

Personal Author:

Schmidt, Sarah

Physical Description:

328 pages ; 24 cm.

Abstract:

When her father and step-mother are found brutally murdered on a summer morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden - thirty two years old and still living at home - immediately becomes a suspect. But after a notorious trial, she is found innocent, and no one is ever convicted of the crime. Meanwhile, others in the claustrophobic Borden household have their own motives and their own stories to tell: Lizzie's unmarried older sister, a put-upon Irish housemaid, and a boy hired by Lizzie's uncle to take care of a problem. This unforgettable debut makes you question the truth behind one of the great unsolved mysteries, as well as exploring power, violence and the harsh realities of being a woman in late nineteenth century America.

Subject Term:

Murder -- Investigation -- United States -- Fiction.

Genre:

Historical fiction

Format:

Books

Document ID:

SD_ILS:1568240

Availability:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Shelf Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... Asherville Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Durban North Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Galleria Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Glenashley Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Grosvenor Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Kloof Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lalucia Library	SCHM HORR	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lalucia Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Nirvana Hills Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Sparks Estate Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Tongaat Central Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Waterfall Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westville Library	SCHM CRIM	English Fiction	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Haunting, gripping and gorgeously written, SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE by Sarah Schmidt is a re-imagining of the unsolved American true crime case of the Lizzie Borden murders, for fans of BURIAL RITES and MAKING A MURDERER.

'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

Meanwhile, others in the claustrophobic Borden household have their own motives and their own stories to tell: Lizzie's unmarried older sister, a put-upon Irish housemaid, and a boy hired by Lizzie's uncle to take care of a problem.

This unforgettable debut makes you question the truth behind one of the great unsolved mysteries, as well as exploring power, violence and the harsh realities of being a woman in late nineteenth century America.

Author Notes

Sarah Schmidt is a librarian from Melbourne. She became obsessed with the Borden story after coming across Lizzie's case by chance in a second-hand bookstore and her passionate research has even taken her to stay for several nights in the Borden house. Find out more on her website https://sarahschmidt.org/ and on Twitter @ikillnovel.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Schmidt's unforgettable debut brings a legendary American crime to eerie new life. Four narrators recount events surrounding the 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden: Lizzie Borden; her older sister, Emma; and the family's maid, Bridget Sullivan, are within the Massachusetts home in which the deaths occurred. The fourth, a young man known only as Benjamin, is a stranger to everyone in the family but the sisters' maternal uncle, who is visiting at the time of the tragedy. Though their interpretations of events differ, all describe roiling tensions. The manipulative, nearly feral Lizzie is forever scarred by her mother's early death, while Emma longs for an artistic life uncomplicated by her sister's outsized presence. Their relationship with their father and stepmother is fractured: Andrew Borden is a miserly, abusive man who thinks nothing of beheading the pet pigeons Lizzie loves, and his second wife, Abby, has never gained her stepdaughters' trust. On August 4, family conflicts erupt in a chain of events that is as intricate as it is violent. Equally compelling as a whodunit, "whydunit," and historical novel, the book honors known facts yet fearlessly claims its own striking vision. Even before the murders, the Bordens' cruel, claustrophobic lives are not easy to visit, but from them Schmidt has crafted a profoundly vivid and convincing fictional world. Agent: Dan Lazar, Writers House. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

DEBUT In this novel from Australian newcomer Schmidt, we are taken inside the delusional mind of accused 19th-century ax murderer Lizzie Borden and also witness the churning interior monologs of her older sister, Emma, and the Bordens' hapless Irish maid, Bridget. We get to inhabit another character as well: a potential hit man named Benjamin, lured in by the sisters' nefarious Uncle John. Schmidt employs some unusual word choices-animals "critter" instead of walk, lamplight "rages." Not surprisingly, the prose is rife with a creepy physicality, its imagery dwelling on skin, blood, fingernails, smells, etc., although readers are spared much of the actual crime's gruesomeness. The heated narrative contributes to the sense of simmering craziness permeating the Borden household. A historical time line of actual events is appended. What better subject for a psychological thriller than one of the most notorious murders in U.S. history, and the mysterious Benjamin adds color and suspense to what might otherwise be a well-worn tale. VERDICT A fresh treatment of Lizzie Borden, highly recommended for mystery and true crime fans and others who like smart, edgy works.-Reba Leiding, emeritus, James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

ONE LIZZIE August 4, 1892 HE WAS STILL bleeding. I yelled, "Someone's killed Father." I breathed in kerosene air, licked the thickness from my teeth. The clock on the mantel ticked ticked. I looked at Father, the way hands clutched to thighs, the way the little gold ring on his pinkie finger sat like a sun. I gave him that ring for his birthday when I no longer wanted it. "Daddy," I had said, "I'm giving this to you because I love you." He had smiled and kissed my forehead. A long time ago now. I looked at Father. I touched his bleeding hand, how long does it take for a body to become cold? and leaned closer to his face, tried to make eye contact, waited to see if he might blink, might recognize me. I wiped my hand across my mouth, tasted blood. My heart beat nightmares, gallop, gallop, as I looked at Father again, watched blood river down his neck and disappear into suit cloth. The clock on the mantel ticked ticked. I walked out of the room, closed the door behind me and made my way to the back stairs, shouted once more to Bridget, "Quickly. Someone's killed Father." I wiped my hand across my mouth, licked my teeth. Bridget came down, brought with her the smell of decayed meaty-meat. "Miss Lizzie, what . . ." "He's in the sitting room." I pointed through thick, wallpapered walls. "Who is?" Bridget's face, prickly with confusion. "I thought he looked hurt but I wasn't sure how badly until I got close," I said. Summer heat ran up my neck like a knife. My hands ached. "Miss Lizzie, yer scarin' me." "Father's in the sitting room." It was difficult to say anything else. Bridget ran from the back stairs through the kitchen and I followed her. She ran to the sitting room door, put her hand on the door knob, turn it, turn it. "His face has been cut." There was a part of me that wanted to push Bridget into the room, make her see what I had found. Excerpted from See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.