Lizzie

Gr 9 Up—In this fictionalized retelling of the horrific, still unsolved Borden murders, 16-year-old Lizzie is a talented cook in her family's bed and breakfast who suffers physical and psychological abuse and who has regular blackouts that coincide with menstrual flow and pain. The novel takes place in the months leading up to the legendary gruesome murders of Lizzie's father and stepmother and focuses on Lizzie's struggle with mental illness, her desire to escape the inn, and her romance with the maid, Bridget. The author uses sensational language and heavy foreshadowing with the cooking, abuse, romance, and menstrual themes. Most scenes include knives or meat or blood or skin and references to chopping. Lizzie's sickness intensifies and her reliability as a narrator becomes questionable. When the mutilated bodies are discovered, this fictional Lizzie, just as the actual Lizzie Borden claimed, has no memory of that day's events. Although the murders occurred in the late 1800s, this story attempts to be modern with references to selfies and security cameras and the use of modern slang—but since Lizzie is practically a shut-in in an old house except for trips to church, the setting feels historical and the insertion of contemporary terms is disorienting. An author's note presents what limited facts are known about the case, and where storytelling fills in the gaps. Readers wanting more should find Sarah Miller's Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century.