Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.

Nearly everyone has heard this rhyme and this case.  Andrew and Abby Borden were both brutally murdered in their home with an axe; Andrew’s daughter Lizzie was arrested and brought to trial for their murders. She was found not guilty and the murders are still unsolved today. Sarah Schmidt took a 10 year writing process/obsession and has brought us the fictional account of what led to the murders and afterwards with See What I Have Done.

There are four narrators in See: Lizzie, her sister Emma, Bridget the maid, and the enigmatic Benjamin who is a fictional character. Each narrator brings something different to this very disturbing story and family. It is a slow moving novel that at times can be hard to follow with the narratives. See goes back and forth within the chapters which can be confusing.    I had to reread some paragraphs several times because of the confusion.  

There is a timeline included at the end of the novel. I felt that would have been better used at the beginning as an introduction to see where things will go for those who don’t know many details about the case. I felt a “cast of characters” would have been helpful as Schmidt seems to assume that the reader will know who each character is. 

Even knowing this novel is fictional, it all seemed very real.  This comes with the in-depth research that Schmidt did. It does make you think about the case and wonder what really happened.  If you are looking for a good fictional introduction to Lizzie Borden, this is the place to start. If you are looking for anything ‘new’ with the case or any conclusions as to who did commit the murders, you will not get that.     

Despite the issues I had, Schimidt did a very good job with See, which is her debut novel and it is an accomplishment. Living and breathing Lizzie for 10 years must have affected her as she ‘lived’ with these real people for so long. You can see in the Author Acknowledgements where she thanks Lizzie, but asks her to move on.  

I received a copy via NetGalley, thank you so much for my copy!

I sincerely doubt I am in the minority regarding prior knowledge of the story of Lizzie Borden and her ax. What I do recall, after the school house rhyme faded from my mind, was that Lizzie was acquitted and I don’t believe the double homicide was ever solved. One of those cold cases that might surface in a documentary or movie of the week if new evidence was uncovered, but nothing over the years captured my attention. 
Sarah Schmidt and See What I Have Done however did pique my interest. Her descriptions of Lizzie, Emma, Bridget, Uncle John and of course the now departed Andrew and Abby were creepy and compelling. If this family were alive today, I could see them on some sort of train wreck reality TV show with fast and furious Twitter comments as each episode aired. 
This wasn’t a happy home by any stretch of imagination. Lizzie, a woman in her 30s sound like a young teen at best and a homicidal maniac at worst. Emma, her sister thrust into the role of surrogate mother is manipulated by Lizzie and has never had the ability to break free and create a life of her own. Andrew Borden, a man of means either believes in living with less or is just plain cheap and miserly and his relationships with his daughters and second wife would never be described as warm and fuzzy. The maid Bridget is by the far the closest thing to normal in the Borden household as each character is so unbelievably well developed by the author. 
I love books, I respect the work involved in crafting an engaging story, but in this case, Sarah Schmidt truly went above and beyond to craft such distinct voices. It’s a tragic tale of a dysfunctional family, and while it did take me some time to get comfortable with the author’s rhythm, by the end I couldn’t stop turning pages to get to the end.
Thank you Sarah Schmidt, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone knows the rhyme:
Lizzie Borden took an axe; and gave her mother 40 whacks; when she saw what she had done; she gave her father 41.
Sarah Schmidt's novel is historical fiction exploring the infamous murders of  Mr. and Mrs. Borden in the late 19th century.  Emma, Lizzie's sister, is ten years older than Lizzie, and has assumed the role of caretaker and main confidante of Lizzie following the death of their birth mother when Lizzie was very young.  The bond between the sisters is a strange one, bordering on unhealthy. In fact, there are no healthy relationships whatsoever in See What I Have Done.  The novel is told from the alternating points of view of Lizzie, Emma and Bridget, the family's servant who is desperate to escape the family and return to Ireland.

See What I Have Done is beautifully written in a strange, almost dreamlike manner, with the ominous tone and the forbading atmosphere of the house permeating throughout.  From the mutton soup which always seems to be on the stove - never refrigerated and eaten daily - to the descriptions of the bodies of the victims, to Mrs. Borden's strange and unhealthy attempt to hold on to Bridget in spite of her desperate attempts to flee, it's easy to get caught up in the chilling, dysfunctional atmosphere of this novel. Everyone in the Borden family is a bit off:  the maid, older sister Emma who desperately seeks separation from Lizzie (who is unhinged and creepy throughout), and Uncle John who is just a bit too touchy with the sisters and has it in for their beastly father Andrew.....in a deadly way. 

Who really butchered Lizzie Borden's parents?  The case was never solved and Sarah Schmidt is not saying either.  Readers will draw their own conclusions after reading this fascinating novel.

This book was interesting and strange. Through four different viewpoints, the reader visits the Borden household in the summer of 1892 at the time of Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother's murders. We see the home through the eyes of 30-ish year old Lizzie, her 10-years older sister Emma, the Irish housemaid, Bridget, and a man named Benjamin who'd been sent by Emma and Lizzie's uncle John to "handle a problem", though the problem is never really spelled out. It's presumed to be financial.

There are many physical descriptions and metaphors to increase the sense of oppression in the Borden household: the August heat, the ticking clock, tongues running over teeth, the licking of blood from hands. There is food poisoning from a pot of mutton soup that's been cooked and reheated all week, odors of dead rodents in the walls, and the beheading of Lizzie's pet pigeons for fear of lice. It's not a book for the squeamish. 

The book was interesting because it introduces the idea that there were several people who may have had reason and desire to see the Bordens dead. Each unreliable narrator makes one wonder which one it was. If you don't know the story of Lizzie Borden, even from the childhood poem, it would likely help to read up on it before reading this book.

Lizzie struck me as either simple/developmentally delayed, mentally ill, ridiculously spoiled or perhaps some of all three. I felt sympathy for all of the characters. Even though I liked Lizzie the least because she was so difficult, I still felt bad for her. 

It was a well written book, and I enjoyed the close-up exploration of the possibilities of the very sad, real life crime and characters. 

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

As a fictional work regarding Lizzie Borden and the infamous murders, I was very excited to read this debut novel (plus the cover is amazing). The novel included things that should make a good story: murder, dysfunctional family, creep factor, etc. Overall I was disappointed; I wasn't fond of the writing style and it was a little slow.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review. 

Who hasn't heard of Lizzie Borden? She took an ax and gave her mother 40 whacks! 

This is a fictionalized telling of that brutally murderous day. Written from several points of view, we see what 'could have' brought Lizzie to the decisions she made.

3☆

https://anovelhaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/see-what-i-have-done-by-sarah-schmidt/

This was interesting. I was expecting it to be fast paced and a psychological thriller. What I got was a historical fiction based on a real family and event and it was very character driven. So it was definitely interesting and fascinating l, just wasn't what I was expecting. Now I want to do some research on these people. But the characters were good and super creepy. I do wish there was more of a definitive ending, but based on history that may not have been possible.

Hats off to Sarah Schmidt for being able to immerse herself into a dark, atrocious event and find humanity in these sick, twisted characters. Told in 4 alternating points of view, the book leaves us with more questions than answers about the Borden murders; in this horrible, dysfunctional family motives for murder abounded. But the point of this book isn't to know, but to feel. I felt sadness, pity, frustration, and anger toward this real-life cast of characters. The descriptions were evocative at a sensory level: gut-wrenching renditions of dead bodies, cringe-inducing portrayals of acts of violence, even the food was repulsive. Needless to say, this book is not a light read, but the creepy darkness is appropriate for the subject matter and it is a worthy read. I will definitely be looking for Sarah Schmidt's next novel. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was not quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it all the same. The narrative switches between different points of view and I never quite knew who to trust, which added to the sense of unease throughout the book.

Well hello there, Sarah Schmidt. I love it when a debut novel really nails it. See What I Have Done is one of my most highly anticipated reads for the year. I've always been absolutely fascinated with Lizzie Borden and couldn't wait to read a fictionalized account of her story. I didn't know if it was going to deal with the events leading up to the murders, the murder itself, or the trial that took place thereafter, but I didn't mind going in relatively blind. I was pleased that it really covered a little of everything, but focused mainly on the events that happened in the days leading up to and after the murder. The story is told from 4 different perspectives: Emma, the older sister, Bridget, the Irish Maid, Benjamin, a stranger with nefarious intentions, and Lizzie herself.

The writing was so evocative! There's a lot of imagery (specifically, food and smell imagery. That damn mutton soup!)  It was a slow burn and the story took me a bit to get into, but Schmidt had my full attention when she began to describe the state of the bodies. This book is not for the faint of heart. When I'm faced with gruesome imagery, it surprises me and makes me laugh. (Like, ahh very good author- you got me!) I had that feeling several times throughout this book. That said, if you are not into gore, you should probably skip this one. It was a very atmospheric story, and I am typically not one for "flowery" writing. I like character development and solid plot, and I want you to describe what's going on to me clearly, thank you. However, because of the 4 differing viewpoints, the author got a chance to really play with style without sacrificing the story. Emma was the most straightforward character; she is an older sister who is beholden  to her needy younger sister, Lizzie. Lizzie wants nothing more than the entirety of Emma's love: "I thought about..stalking into Emma's bed like the moon and lying by her side, growing tentacles and wrapping them around her until our breathing matched." Yeah. Lizzie is definitely creepy. 

Emma's chapters are often really sad, both because her parents have been murdered and because she knows this now means she'll never get away from her burdensome sister.  Lizzie's chapters creeped me out the most. Her narrative feels cloudy and anxious. I thought it was genius how the author played with words to get Lizzie's madness across. "I wanted to feel better. I forced my fingers onto my arms and forced them to march like ants". There was definitely something off with her and I have no trouble believing this character could have murdered her parents. 

The maid, Bridget, who "did things and did things", is the voice of reason. She sees the family members for who they really are... and she wants out. She's been saving up her earnings for a trip back home, but when Mrs. Borden finds out, she steals her money. She's at least 10 years younger than Lizzie, the youngest Borden, but she often seems like the only adult in the room. She is a maid who emigrated to America from Ireland with the hopes of earning her own way and chasing the American Dream, and I really enjoyed reading about the pains she went through and the sacrifices she made to get to the U.S. 

Benjamin is a man that's hired by the girls' uncle to teach their father a lesson. He ends up getting inside the home and ends up having a very interesting perspective on the murders. He gives me a real droog from Clockwork Orange vibe. I really enjoyed his addition to the story, as it gave us another angle to consider. 

Overall, I found this to be a quite enjoyable read. We are given a real timeline of events at the end, and it seems like the author followed the actual events very closely. It's fiction but it sounded like a reasonable explanation for the unsolved case to me. I do wish we could have gotten more information about what happened during the trial, but I still feel like we were given a resolution to the story. The characters were well fleshed out and complex and I walked away feeling like I had a good sense as to the type of people the Bordens were.  I think this could make a very disturbing HBO adaptation, a la Big Little Lies. Read her dedications, seriously. Especially the part dedicated to Lizzie... 

Favorite Quote: "The jurors would poke their old fingers in everything, pretend they were investigating the facts when really they wanted to touch the spaces dead people had been."

Rating: 4.5/5. (Extra half star for the writing!)

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and the publisher, Grove Atlantic. The story of Lizzie Borden has fascinated me for a long time and I was excited to get this book. Unfortunately, it didn't grab me the way I'd hoped. Jumping around from the various perspectives of Lizzie, her sister Emma, the maid Bridget and a man named Benjamin, there's a lack of a clear narrative and a lot of inner-dialogue that doesn't do a lot to move the story forward. While I admire the writing style of Sarah Schmidt but wish there was a tighter story. The earlier chapters from Lizzie and Emma's perspectives seem to go on a bit long with a lot of repetition and I found my attention wandering. This wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a hit for me either. If I could give half stars it would be a 2.5.

There is definitely a strong familiar feeling to this story. It jumps through different characters point-of-view, and Lizzie’s way of thinking reminds me of The Yellow Wallpaper. This unreliable narration and the flitting between thoughts gives you a rushed feeling, as if you were racing to keep up with her. The story goes on, introducing us to more characters and their ways of thinking. Author Sarah Schmidt has done an excellent job giving each of these characters their own unique voice and yet tied them together in such a way that it flowed almost seamlessly. I was very surprised to find that this was a debut novel as her writing style seems well tested. I can understand how some might not enjoy this book and I feel like it will be very polarizing. I personally enjoy a book that lures me in and then spends the next few hours leading me down a twisting road. I do also enjoy simple A to B stories but this was a welcome break and I will be looking forward to Sarah Schmidt’s next book.

*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press in exchange for honest feedback*

3.5 stars. 

An interesting take on the Lizzie Borden story, specifically centering on that fateful day. I might have enjoyed it more if I wasn't as well-versed in Borden-lore. There were some factual inconsistencies that threw me a bit, but the writing was fully engrossing

Arguably one of the most anticipated literary fiction releases of the year, See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt takes the reader to Massachusetts back in the summer of 1892, when the infamous Lizzie Borden allegedly killed her parents. The novel delves into the dysfunctional family dynamics that led to the brutal murders and subsequent trial of the century. Drifting back and forth through time and covering several perspectives (Lizzie, Lizzie’s sister Emma, the family’s Irish maid Bridget, a hitman named Benjamin), this novel slowly unpacks how the events may have played out. While it does indeed have a creepy quality to it (the Borden sisters are especially unsettling characters), it is more of a book for historical crime enthusiasts, as opposed to mystery/thriller/horror readers. It is quite dull at times, but the period details and language carry it along. If you are squeamish or if you require a cut and dried resolution in the books you read, avoid this one. However, if you are interested in historical recreations and appreciate a tone of subtle eeriness, then See What I Have Done could be a good choice for you.

*Lost Interest*

I had this book on my to be read shelf, however, I no longer have any interest to read it. The first chapter didn't grab my attention and I don't want to give it a 1 star review on Goodreads. Therefore, I am DNFing it.

Despite this being the story of the famous Borden ax murders, at it's heart it's really the story of a terribly dysfunctional family. Sarah Schmidt's novel paints a fabulously unsettling picture of the Borden family - a family ruled by a tyrannical, miserly patriarch, an addled stepmother, codependent and unstable sisters, and poor Bridget the maid, who sees everything but is powerless to intervene or escape. 

Lizzie is an unreliable narrator (as is to be expected, I suppose) and the narration in the chapters told from her perspective is dizzying in it's erratic and piecemeal presentation. Her thoughts jump around, concentrating heavily on sensation - what she felt, saw, heard, tasted - and she focuses on seemingly unimportant details (these details would prove to be important later, of course). I am delighted, however, to see that the other characters in the story are very well fleshed out and were what grounded the novel when Lizzie's narration took a fantastical turn.  Schmidt's ability to write the characters in such a believable fashion serves to highlight just how unbalanced Lizzie was. 

The gruesome nature of the crimes lends itself to a few death scenes in the novel which are handled in an understated but deeply unsettling way. The reactions of each character to the bodies are entirely in line with their characters. For those with squeamish stomachs, I advise avoiding food while reading. Also perhaps food after reading as well considering how food is also handled in the boo (the MUTTON STEW! <gag>). 

This book is dark, haunting, unsettling, but also beautiful in it's style. Schmidt's expert combination of historical accuracy and creepy storytelling makes for a superb and fresh retelling of a well-known American murder.

See What I Have Done is a stunning character study about one of the most infamous murderers of all time.  Told through the points of view of four characters, Lizzie Borden is elucidated so perfectly it's easy to believe this work of historical fiction is completely true.  Reading the sister's narratives was cringeworthy, Lizzie was particularly selfish and childish, and I kept wishing Emma would grow a backbone to stand up to her sister's guilt-trips.  Lizzie's point of view was particularly well delivered with a tangible note of mental instability woven into the narrative.  This is a story of a despicable, dysfunctional family without a happy ending, except for Lizzie who probably got almost everything she wanted.  

I would recommend this book to people interested in psychological, gritty fiction.  This is an excellent character driven book and I love that it is told as historical fiction, See What I Have Done will serve as a crossover book for true crime enthusiasts.  It also did well to spark my interest in Lizzie Borden and sent me searching for more information about her.

I've heard the infamous rhyme, seen bits of the movie, heard it being discussed by friends but never knew all the details. 

First of all, the way the five senses are provoked by such descriptive text was wonderful. They are quite literally provoked. You can feel the heat inside the house, smell the metallic taste of the blood on the tip of your tongue, feel it singeing your nostrils, taste the rot of the mutton broth and musky body odor. I'd have to say that was my favorite part of this book. Not to mention all of the instances where Lizzie's quiet thoughts to herself sent chills down my spine.

This book was haunting because the story is haunting. The author did a great job bringing it back to life and even though it is a historical fiction novel, the details surrounding the "mysterious" murders were real and raw.  

Aside from reasonable doubt I think it's probably obvious to most people that Lizzie murdered her father and Mrs. Borden. The multi-narrative layout of the novel had the effect of confusing the reader. It kept the story engaging, even though from previous assumptions I knew Lizzie most likely murdered them, I was guessing throughout the whole story that really any one of the 4 narrators could have done it.

Finally, the prose really drove all of this home. It was an eerie read that will haunt it's reader for time to come. I really enjoyed it, and recommend it to lovers of not only historical fiction, but thrillers and horror stories as well. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Schmidt & Grove Atlantic for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I finally finished this lovely true-crime-like historical fiction set around the iconic axe murders from my town of Fall River, MA. This book, See What I have done, alternated between the perspective of the accused, Lizzie, her sister, the maid, and a few other odd characters. It was written in a style with sort of an inner dialogue ramble which made it appropriate for some characters who were portrayed as perhaps a little less than sane. There were lots of historically accurate details present that I remember from my time studying this, as well as features from the home being portrayed accurately based on my recollection from staying there and the author's visit there as well. A definite must read for those interested in the Lizzie Borden case and those who have never heard of it!