See What I Have Done

I've been trying to come up with a way to review See What I Have Done since I finished it last night... here's what I've come up with.

First off, it's historical fiction about Lizzie Borden.

That being said, the book is told through four perspectives over the course of two days.

We hear from Lizzie, Emma, Bridget, and Benjamin.

Now I'm not considering anything I'm about to say as spoilers, because well, it's Lizzie Borden and if you don't know what she did then where the hell have you been?! 

Here's a refresher:

Lizzie Borden took an ax, and gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.

Lizzie's Perspective: It's almost like stream of consciousness. She relays her activities for the day to police after she found her father cut in the study. She's obviously doped up from the sedative the doctor gave her to relax. But the problem is she can't quite remember everything. So she just starts telling the activities out of order because they did happen, just now how she's saying....and she knows that. Honestly, I got a very Tell-Tale Heart vibe from Lizzie when she starts repeating the things she's thinking.

Emma's Perspective: Oh, she's so bitter; it hurts. Her life was so grand while she was away from her sister, Lizzie. She could do her art in peace and not have to worry about Mother's promise. She could finally start her own life. A life outside of Fall River, a life without The Borden's. But then she gets the urgent message to come home and is uprooted from her fairytale. She can't believe what has happened but knows she has to comfort Lizzie the best she can and make sure they live a long life together.

Bridget's Perspective: She just wants a better life for herself. She's tired of cleaning up after an unappreciative family. She wants to go home to her own family, where she can laugh and carry on without a care in the world. She never should have come to America because all it has brought her is sadness. So the day the murders happen, she realizes she has an out. She can leave it all behind; the drama, the yelling, the menial work. No one can stop her.

Benjamin's Perspective: Benjamin get tied up with the girls Uncle John. Out one night, he meets John and is asked a rather large favor. A favor that he can't turn down. John wants someone to go have a "man-to-man" talking to with Andrew Borden, the girls father. He wants someone to teach him a lesson on how he should be treating his kids. But when Benjamin shows up for his task, the deed is already done. Snooping around the house, he finds both Andrew and Abby's bodies. But who could have done this? When he begins snooping through the barn, he finds a bloody ax head and realizes he can use this to his advantage... 

Overall, I really enjoyed See What I Have Done! It was so well written!! Now, it did take me forever to read, but only because I was in such a reading slump. But I think it just pulled me out of it.

Huge thanks to Jenni L. Walsh for suggesting See What I Have Done to me on Goodreads!

Looking for other books on Lizzie Borden?
The Trial of Lizzie Borden