VIDEO 'He was still bleeding. I yelled, "Someone's killed Father." I breathed in kerosene air, licked the thickness from my teeth. The clock on the mantel ticked ticked. I looked at Father, the way hands clutched to thighs, the way the little gold ring on his pinky finger sat like a sun. I gave him that ring for his birthday when I no longer wanted it. "Daddy," I had said. "I'm giving this to you because I love you." He had smiled and kissed my forehead.
Untitled "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.... Or did she?"
Yes, yes she did.
If it wasn't for the fact that I don't like leaving books incomplete, I probably wouldn't have finished it. See What I Have Done is a prime example of a potentially great story that doesn't quite make it, Schmidt missed the mark here.
I've seen other reviews congratulating her writing style, however I found it infuriating. Yes she is descriptive, but being descriptive is only a positive if done well. Schmidt appears to constantly leave out basic words in her sentences and phrases things in a convoluted way. Also the novel is written in the first person, it is also told from the perspective of multiple characters, yet every character's viewpoint is written the same way.
The narrative itself wasn't cohesive (and at times incoherent), bland, and anticlimactic. I found myself not caring about any of the characters, except for Bridget who I felt a little sorry for. The tale of the Borden murders is a truly fascinating historical event with great grounds for a thriller. Yet this novel reads more like a melodramatic soap opera than a crime mystery.
The novel did have some good moments, but not enough to counteract the train-wreck they came in. This all being said, I did read an uncorrected proof copy. Though it would have had to go through some serious editing to be any better.
Schmidt has talent as an author, she can set a scene and deliver some interesting moments. However, her writing style needs some serious improvement if I were to ever consider reading her again. - Sean (QBD) Guest ,
