See What I Have Done (Schmidt) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Sarah Schmidt has created a lurid and original work of horror. It's a pity that some of its force has been dissipated by its disorganized and overlong second half. As a result, the novel lacks the ever-tightening narrative torque that might more effectively have delivered the lovely shocker on the last page.
Patrick McGrath - New York Times Book Review


A gripping and still puzzling story… [and] credible imagining of a bizarre episode.
Wall Street Journal


We get only glimpses into the particular hell of the Borden household; the fact that we can fill in the blanks from our own darkest places draws us closer, more uncomfortably, in. Schmidt’s unusual combination of narrative suppression and splurge makes for a surprising, nastily effective debut. Neighbours, doctor, police: visitors to the Borden house in the aftermath of the murders react with incredulity. “I don’t think I believe it myself,” says Lizzie.
Justine Jordan - Guardian (UK)


A bloody good read.… A taut, lyrical account of the destruction of the Borden family, both through ax murder and subtler means.… Schmidt inhabits each of her narrators with great skill, channeling their anxieties, their viciousness, with what comes across as (frighteningly) intuitive ease. Everything about Schmidt’s novel is hauntingly, beautifully off. It’s a creepy and penetrating work, even for a book about Lizzie Borden.
USA Today


Debut novelist Sarah Schmidt tackles the murk and silence in this old tale, imagining the cruel secrets of a respected family.
Elle


[The] novel is compelling, scary—and gruesomely visceral.
Entertainment Weekly


This palpable imagining of what led to the murder of Lizzie Borden’s parents will stay with you for as long as this historical mystery has enthralled pop culture.
Redbook


(Starred review.) [U]nforgettable…compelling.… [T]he 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.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) 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. —Reba Leiding, emeritus, James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Heralds the arrival of a major new talent.… Nail-biting horror mixes with a quiet, unforgettable power to create a novel readers will stay up all night finishing.
Booklist


This fictional retelling of the Lizzie Borden murders is a domestic nightmare … [with] staggeringly gorgeous, feverish prose and the thrill of deep, dark, gruesome detail. (Six of the Brightest New Names in Fiction).
BookPage


(Starred review.)  Schmidt creates…a palpable sense of unease.… There are books about murder and there are books about imploding families; this is the rare novel that seamlessly weaves the two together, asking as many questions as it answers.
Kirkus Reviews