Slowburn mystery/thriller. Absolutely loved it and would recommend. Full review to come soon to Goodreads and Instagram. Special thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the free arc in exchange of my honest review!!

"That was how it was sometimes, in the archive. Big discoveries sandwiched between trash. The day-to-day touching the phenomenal."

Kate Aitken, now an ex-journalist (copy editor), has a chance for a clean slate, it’s time to leave New York, which has become contaminated for her. Kate’s life has imploded, and a very important man has taken measures to make sure she does not find work anywhere. When Theo Brand, son of famed photographer Miranda Brand, hires her to archive his late mother’s work it is a chance for her to start fresh- in California. Her aunt is there, which is both a good thing and trying. It won’t be easy, not with a woman whose death is surrounded by mystery and rumors, many that follow Theo like a dark shadow. He confesses his mother was a bit of a pack rat, so one never knows what treasure or trash Kate will uncover. Theo himself isn’t the easiest man to figure out, nor the warmest and it certainly doesn’t help when her own aunt is sure he is worse than the locals say. That maybe he was involved in his mother’s mysterious death, despite being a child when she died.

Her own life in a tailspin of sorts, Kate wonders if taking this job makes her vulnerable to danger. Sifting through the house most people would kill to snoop through, it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Could the many rumors and conspiracies be born from truth, isn’t that often the case? Doesn’t her own life have its own secrets and lies? Hasn’t she learned that a man can hide his dark nature behind his success, wealth and name? Is she attracted to Theo, or are the intense emotions, racing heart she feels around him a warning? After-all, she knows that attraction and panic often set off the same feelings within a person. Could he be as bad as everyone claims? It’s hard to think so seeing him interact with his children, even if her presence seems to upset something in him.

Excavating Miranda Brand’s past is an emotional journey. Despite her awe inspiring talent, behind the artist was a woman who was falling apart, questioning herself, coping with the fragility of her mind. Everything Kate discovers feels like an exposure of a woman who wanted her private life to remain sealed. Art should stand alone, not be influenced by the person behind it. Instead of a contained woman, Kate discovers confessions, and painful admissions. Here was a woman who found mothering challenging and her marriage no better as it was under intense strain. A woman lacking much needed compassion and support, instead had a husband who seemed both exhausted by her needs and competitive over her work. Miranda missed who she was before the life she and her husband Jake created together. What made her decide to leave it, in such a dramatic, horrific fashion? Will Kate uncover more than Theo wants her too?

Their relationship is unbalanced already, Kate arrives with her own future in ruins while Theo appears to be a man who has his life together. There belies a coldness in his desire to wrap up his mother’s life, now that his father is gone and he is free to take charge of the past and all it’s dirty secrets. For Theo, Miranda wasn’t a famous artist who died at the height of her career, she was his mother, at times a distant star physically and mentally. Why does he resent her? Seem to hate her?

Answers may lie in Miranda’s diary, a discovery Kate intends to keep from Theo. It soon becomes obvious he has ulterior motives, could well be misleading and using her- but why? Her own wounds are fresh, the remnants of her own therapy sessions are a lifeboat to cling to as she sorts through Miranda’s past. Kate’s own narrative is as elusive, a thing we glimpse in starts and stops. Everything Miranda was suffering, particularly sensitive information that got out in public, is easy for Kate to relate to- however uncomfortable it feels. There are so many ways a woman is stripped of her armor.

Two women, decades separating them, face metamorphism of the self. This is who I wanted to be, this is who life demanded me to become. For Miranda, her husband is unforgiving, treating her after her unraveling as something he is chained too. Kate’s fall from grace is a different sort of humiliation, an utter failure of the self. There are abuses both women suffer at the hands of men with the upper hand. For women, it is all about how people interpret you, be it your behavior, decisions, weaknesses, mental state or refusal to give in when it’s demanded of you.

Death is silence, but Miranda could still have the last word. Does that frighten Theo? What if the truth challenges the story men, like he and his father, have controlled? What about Kate and her own voice, her own past? Is it wise to get tangled in desire for Theo? What if… what if Miranda was murdered?

What kept me reading was Miranda’s story and how she was mistreated, demeaned and misinterpreted- even after her death. Though the person hardest on her, as is often the case with women, was herself. What it nails is how narrative can alter lives, for better or worse. Sometimes the truth must lie in wait, but it will have it’s pound of flesh. Sometimes it pushes us to be more too. Kate was harder for me to bond with, but Miranda- I think Miranda echoes what many women go through and feel too ashamed to give voice. Theo was important, but he wasn’t the heart of the story for me anymore than the attraction between he and Kate. I was in it for Miranda. You could feel the pain of feeling judged, especially for things you cannot help. How easy it is to fall from grace for showing yourself as a fragile human being and why people try and hide when they feel themselves slipping. The breaking is so much worse when the one who is meant to be your anchor fails you. A strong character in Miranda if the others lacked substance. She was worth reading!

Publication Date: April 28. 2020

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

What an intense debut thriller! It kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the flow of the story and that made it bingeworthy.

Sara Silgar delved into the tortured souls of two talented women in this new novel. I was captivated by the first chapter. Miranda Brand is a famous and controversial photographer who started in NYC and moved to a secluded house in northern California with her husband, Jake, and her young son, Theo.

After Miranda's death, a grown-up Theo hires Kate Aitken, a former journalist at what I presumed was the New York Times, to archive his mother's work so he could sell the house and anything significant in the disorderly mess his mother left behind.

With alternating chapters, the suspense quickly builds around all the characters. I had to read this fascinating tale of women who made life decisions based on the men who held power. Two women of different generations seemed to live the same boxed-in life. The writing in this novel is superb, as is the plot and the unraveling of mysteries and loves. TAKE ME APART is a must-read for this year!

Thank you to the author, MCD, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC and give a response.

It was not the thriller that I was looking forward to read but it’s promising, effective, well-written psychological drama/mystery.

So you may be asking why I gave Switzerland treatment to this book by giving 3 stars?

Well, I have complex feelings about narration. Some parts of the book belongs to Miranda’s story deserved 4 to 5 stars because it was complex, surprising, exhilarating, moving, strong parts of the novel but when I go back to the other narration, abuse story and #metoo movement parts do not seem genuine or relatable for me. My starts going back between 2 to 3 and sometimes they dropped to 1 when the boredom takes over. But I still have to emphasize: this is still good reading and the author has so much potential, talent to share.

Let me summarize the plot: Miranda Brand is highly achieved photographer dies mysteriously leaving so many question marks behind. She seems like she have it all: a beautiful family, a thriving successful career. Her death cannot be suicide, can be?

After his dead’s sudden dead, their son Theo decides to clear the estate and but he needs someone to adroitly organize her mother’s belongings. She hires our present time heroine Kate Aitken: suffering from depression, needing a quick fresh start after being accused a superior sexual harassment at her work place in NYC and gets sacked. As soon as she moves to West Coast to a small town where her uncle and aunt live, she hears about famous photographer’s tragic story who committed suicide 20 years ago. But we still don’t for sure if she really did that!

So she applies for a job for working as an archivist to organize Miranda’s documents, correspondences are piled up like big mountains and more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR (Okay, I’m taking it back, nothing can be more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR and me if someone hides my wine bottles!), gets hired by Theo who acts quirky and distanced around her. But he is also charming and demanding. Of course it’s evitable as they start to spend more time, they get closer and form a romantic relationship. But why Theo has so many secrets? And he fails from anger management control, doesn’t he? Could he do something to his mother?

We’re moving back and forth between Kate and Miranda’s stories. We learn more about Miranda’s painful past from her diary pages which are better crafted, more layered, emotional. We see her isolation, depression and fights with her inner demons and her ups and downs of her mental state. And of course there are romantic parts help to conclude and intercept the stories.

Overall: this is emotional, moving, action packed women’s fiction. I couldn’t relate with Kate but I truly loved Miranda’s story and my cruel heart ached for her. It’s still well-written and enjoyable book, I didn’t get bored a little bit but I was expecting a thriller and Kate’s parts of the story a little annoyed me and I read them mandatorily. So 3.25 stars but I’m looking forward to read more books of the author because I loved her moving and creative way of playing with words and reaching our hearts with heartbreaking story of Miranda.

So much special thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Status and Giroux for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review.

Kate takes a new job across the country working as an archivist for the son of a famous photographer who shot herself years earlier. Kate becomes suspicious of whether Miranda's death was really a suicide and begins digging deeper into things than she needs to, while her own mental health begins to spiral. I liked this a lot, but it was kind of hard to read as Kate became more unstable and Miranda's diary described more of the things she dealt with. As always, I also have trouble with books dealing with postpartum depression, or in this case psychosis, and feel I need to kind of mention it. There are other, probably "worse," things that happen, but that always hits me hardest. Four stars.

The mysterious suicide of Miranda Brand, a famed photographer and feminist icon, was a shock to her fans and the residents of the small town of Callinas, California where she resided. Decades later, Miranda's son Theo hires archivist Kate Aitken to organize his mother’s personal effects and prepare what can be salvaged for auction. Recently fired and evading the aftermath of a work scandal, the job couldn't have come at a better time for Kate. When Kate comes across Miranda's diary she discovers a woman, struggling with marriage and motherhood...a downward spiral into insanity hidden behind a smiling façade. Kate's interest in Miranda turns to dangerous obsession when she becomes convinced that Miranda was murdered.

Take me apart is the thrilling debut novel by author Sara Sligar. The novel follows Kate, a troubled woman trying to escape her past and finding a connection with a dead photographer whose effects she is hired to archive. Miranda's story unfolds through documents, photographs, and diary that reveal a less than picture perfect life. Kate soon discovers that the town had theories about Miranda's death including the possibly that her son Theo might have been involved. As Kate searches for answers and her attraction to Theo grows, she soon finds herself unsure of whom she can trust. I absolutely loved this novel and couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed how the reader is given a glimpse into Miranda's life through her work, her correspondences, and a diary which reveals the secrets she took to her grave. As the story unfolds we see how much Miranda's life and death touched those around her. Wonderfully written, engaging, and mysterious this novel is a must read for 2020!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Take Me Apart is the debut novel from Sara Sligar that follows ex-journalist Kate Aitken's move to California. Kate has been hired to archive famed photographer Miranda Brand's work and personal files/journals. Miranda died mysteriously at the height of her career and questions are still being whispered between the townsfolk. As Kate works through Miranda's personal papers, she starts to see a woman who was fighting against the pressures of creativity, motherhood, and marriage. Kate herself is fleeing from her own secrets and her attraction to Miranda's son Theo makes things even more complicated. Take Me Apart is a tale of psychological suspense where readers are challenged to see how women are held and viewed in society.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC.

I love when first-time novelists have enough confidence in themselves and their abilities to move slowly through their stories -- there's an assumption that they will do their job well enough for the reader to get it, and that big, flashing signs or obvious turns aren't need to telegraph or lay things out. In the case of Sara Sligar, her faith in herself is well-place.

She tells two stories at once: one of Miranda Brand, moving toward her death by suicide (?), and the other of Kate Aitken, a young woman archiving Miranda's work as she works to put her own life back together. It's hard to offer too much of a review without spoiling things that shouldn't be spoiled, but the voice Sligar gives Miranda is particularly arresting and real -- her postpartum depression is searingly portrayed, and the reader almost immediate has as strong a sense of Miranda as Kate believes she has by the book's end. The parallels between Kate and Miranda are there but not heavy-handed, and Sligar's use of Miranda's son Theo as a link between the two stories is graceful and, ultimately, very rewarding.

TL; DR: This book is impressive as hell, plz read it.

[The above review will be posted at the link provided a month before publication.]

This novel had an intriguing twofold beginning: organizing the files of a famous photographer and sifting through the facts and facets of her life to determine her true cause of death.

The storyline devolved quickly into a morass of depravity (or possibly insanity) into which this reader chose not to continue. 25% was more than enough for me.

I appreciate the ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish it nor enjoy it.

A psychological thriller that has a dual narrative. Kate is hired to inventory and archive the papers of a famous photographer by her son years after her death. The second narrative is a look into the papers themselves and unraveling the mystery of whether the artist committed suicide or was murdered. Very satisfying ending.

TAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESSTAKE ME APART
BY SARA SLIGAR

This artistically written novel examines some pretty dark themes. The writing is descriptive and the prose crafted with beautiful imagery particularly in the coastal fictitious town in Marin County, California. I could smell the salt in the air from the cobalt blue-gray Pacific Ocean. Kate Aitken travels from New York City to California to archive the photographs, paperwork etc. of a famous woman photographer whose death has been ruled a suicide but might have been murdered. Miranda Brand was well known for her art which her son Theo has hired Kate to separate Miranda's boxes of receipts, photographs, birth certificates and the rest of her paperwork to be auctioned off. When Theo is out of the house with his daughter and son--both young children, Kate finds Miranda's diary in Theo's nightstand and starts reading it secretly.

Miranda suffered severe post-partum psychosis when Theo was a baby and it was so severe she was hospitalized for two months as an inpatient. The diary entries by Miranda read rather clunky and they alternate sections between her life as an artist being more famous than her husband and between sections having to do with Kate's sleuthing. Kate suffers from Bipolar disorder and so her point of view isn't always reliable because she has not been taking her medication or seeing a doctor. Kate is staying with her Aunt and Uncle and was a former journalist that left her job due to sexual harassment.

This definitely does not seem like a debut novel and it has a very gloomy vibe to it. Thank you to Net Galley, Sara Sligar and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.


READING PROGRESS

I would describe Take Me Apart as a slow burn mystery that delves into the world of these two women. It tackles topics such as mental illness, the powerlessness women feel from men, the expectations of women by society, and domestic abuse. I'd recommend!

An ambitious debut of psychological fiction, that can theoretically be sold as a thriller, but isn’t really one. Once upon a time there lived a talented photographer named Miranda who found fame and fortune with her art. She found love with a fellow artist, had a baby and lived happily ever…no, wrong, the music screechingly comes to an abrupt end. Because, of course, what sort of a book would that make. No, this is an entirely different story, albeit based on the same basic facts. And there’s that one last and most salient fact…Miranda’s killed herself under suspicious circumstances at 36 in her own yard. Gone, though not quite forgotten, achieving that certain immortality of the artist, she is still a well known name for some. But for Kate she is now mostly a job, since Kate has been hired by Miranda’s now grown son Theo to archive the written materials left behind his mother. For Theo it’s difficult and traumatic enough just being back at his parents’ place, so he mostly does his best gruff impression of a Bronte or Austen character. You know, the ones who later turn out to be oh so lovable. For Kate it’s an opportunity to get away from a professional scorched earth situation back in NYC and enjoy California sun, while staying with the overbearing but well meaning aunt and a milquetoast uncle. And for Miranda…it’s a chance for the truth about her life and her marriage to finally come out. It’ll take a lot of organizing, deciphering and investigating…but in the end the good shall triumph. Meanwhile, there’s also a somewhat trite and somewhat overdone romance to enjoy, if you’re into that sort of thing. And if not (and good for you), there’s an emotionally devastating depiction of an abusive relationship, depression and suicide. Really, that’s where the novel genuinely excels. The sunny side up might be there to balance out all the darkness, but it’s the darkness that is memorable and emotionally engaging. It is Miranda who is the tragic star of this show, not Kate, because Miranda’s story is the one to deliver the most potent punch of all. The diary entries that gradually reveal the closing in walls around her, the claustrophobia of isolation and depression, the spiraling of her life, and her mental state are as riveting as they are tough to get through. That alone makes the book worth reading. Not to say Kate’s story is terrible, but it’s all too MeToo and questionable choices and just not as interesting in comparison. Randomly enough sometimes the side characters are the ones who offer more versatility, in this case the aunt and even once the uncle. There are some debutisms about the book, mainly how heavily it relies on metaphors and similes. At first it was overwhelming and then it either got paired down or I became used to it, but other than that the writing’s really quite good. I found the book to be a fascinating and quite accurate representation of depression and abuse. It isn’t a happy read and it shouldn’t be, though the author has (and I’m not loving this) made overt efforts to brighten it all up with romance and storybook endings, but it is a quite good one. Thanks Netgalley.

Set in the fictional Northern California town of Callinas (Bolinas?), near the fog-shrouded edge of the continent where the cliffs drop off into the sea at Point Reyes, “Take Me Apart” is a psychological portrait of Kate Aitken, who is literally falling apart. Once an up and coming NYC-based journalist, Kate’s life fell apart after she accused a superior of sexual harassment. In the fall out, she suffered depression.

Now, she is starting a new life -at least temporarily- in the hills north of the San Francisco Bay. It’s a small insular town where her aunt and uncle live and a famous photographer and icon, Miranda Brand, who suffered from many psychiatric ailments took her own life twenty years ago -or did she. There are still whispers around town that the artist’s 11 year old son, an odd one to be sure, fired the fatal shot. Of course, that wouldn’t be more than ancient history except Kate has taken a job over the summer with the son, Theo, as the archivist putting some organization to Miranda’s papers and correspondence which are still piled up in a hoarder’s dream in the big old house. And, the son, Theo, is odd, stand-offish, distant, and quite a bit creepy.

The story alternates between Kate’s life now and the correspondence and diary entries from Miranda’s heyday. Kate is attracted to the strange young man who has so many family secrets, but can’t stop herself from investigating whether Miranda took her own life or was the victim of her son’s wrath or someone else.

This is not an action-packed story. Before reading it, I actually thought more was going to happen than actually did. There’s little indeed that takes place other than perhaps a budding romance. It’s more a story about Kate’s inner thoughts and emotions and the connection she has with the woman from the past, Miranda. It would probably be categorized as more “women’s fiction” than a thriller. Not my usual genre, but the writing is compelling. And, it is easy to read and absorbing.

This was a little bit of a slow burn but I enjoyed it. The inclusion of the letters was different and I looked forward to those parts of each chapter. I’m not sure I would really call this a mystery so if that’s what you’re expecting it’s not exactly that, but it still kept me engaged!

Personally, I loved the author’s writing style and the premise of this debut book and would give it five stars; I devoured the galley. As a bookseller, however, this book covers so many trigger issues—mental illness, cutting, domestic violence, sexual harassment/assault, even a foray into how certain artists receive more attention and funding than others, I am uncertain how I could handsell this book to anyone that I do not personally know well. Even the caveat that it is a fiction book does not feel like a strong enough warning for readers. Not an easy dilemma for a bookseller. Based on my conflict, I decided on an overall 4 rating.

This was a really interesting book, and I enjoyed the style of it. Getting to know Miranda through her diary and papers was really fascinating, and provided a great insight into her mind and personality that we wouldn't have gotten had the author introduced her in a different way.

That said, I do feel like it was a struggle to find the "point" of the book. Was it Kate's obsession with Miranda - figuring out what happened to her? Her journey of self exploration after an ill-defined workplace issue? Maybe both... We do finally learn what happened to Miranda, and while I wasn't particularly surprised at the reveal, it did help to inform why Theo turned into the man he is.

My one complaint is the ending - it is super unclear what happens to Kate and/or Theo. But I think that's the point.

Kate takes on the job of archiving the work of famous photographer Miranda Brand. Miranda has died before her time, leaving her brooding son Theo to pick up the pieces. Kate's job is hampered both by the archive being a mess and by Theo's restrictions. The truth about Miranda is strewn through the house that was hers, but Kate is only supposed to stay in one room. For Kate to solve the mystery of Miranda she has to conduct her own investigation which will put her on a collision course with Theo.