![]() ![]() ![]() When I began this book, I wasn't enjoying it and thought I should put it down. I'm not sure that's what Schmidt intended, but it added a bit of additional interest to think of him in that way. The parallels between Benjamin's background and that of Lizzie and Emma are striking and, since his presence is mostly unremarked upon by other characters, it's tempting to think of him as some kind of alter-ego for one of them. Each of these could easily be an unreliable narrator, issuing a self-serving account of events. There is also Benjamin, a violent young man driven by resentment of the father that abandoned his family for another woman, who hovers around the family at the crucial time, observing what is going on. There are the Borden sisters, Emma and Lizzie, and their maid Bridget, all based on people involved in these events. Schmidt imparts the story through four narrative voices. ![]() In her debut novel, Sarah Schmidt tackles the notorious case of Lizzie Borden, the woman accused of killing her father and step-mother (which gave rise to a renowned bit of doggerel).īorden was cleared in her trial, but one cannot write a novel such as this without putting forward a theory of who did it, and Schmidt gives us her take on it with a convincing use of narrative and character development. ![]()
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