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Alles, was zu ihr gehört
Eine berühmte Fotografin stirbt unter mysteriösen Umständen, zwanzig Jahre später ist eine junge Frau besessen davon, die Wahrheit rauszufinden – um jeden Preis
Die junge Archivarin Kate soll den riesigen Nachlass der Künstlerin Miranda Brand sortieren. Auftraggeber ist Theo, Mirandas Sohn. Der Mittdreißiger ist schön, kühl, wohlhabend. Und übt eine gefährliche Anziehung auf Kate aus. Immer tiefer verstrickt sie sich in das Leben der Brands, liest heimlich das Tagebuch der Künstlerin. Die Beschäftigung mit Mirandas Tod wird ihr zur verhängnisvollen Obsession. Wurde die Fotografin ermordet? Was weiß Theo darüber? In atemberaubenden Bildern und glasklarer Sprache dringt Sara Sligar ein in die Geheimnisse und Lügen zweier magnetischer Frauen, die mehr verbindet, als sie ahnen.
Die junge Archivarin Kate soll den riesigen Nachlass der Künstlerin Miranda Brand sortieren. Auftraggeber ist Theo, Mirandas Sohn. Der Mittdreißiger ist schön, kühl, wohlhabend. Und übt eine gefährliche Anziehung auf Kate aus. Immer tiefer verstrickt sie sich in das Leben der Brands, liest heimlich das Tagebuch der Künstlerin. Die Beschäftigung mit Mirandas Tod wird ihr zur verhängnisvollen Obsession. Wurde die Fotografin ermordet? Was weiß Theo darüber? In atemberaubenden Bildern und glasklarer Sprache dringt Sara Sligar ein in die Geheimnisse und Lügen zweier magnetischer Frauen, die mehr verbindet, als sie ahnen.
496 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2020
664 people are currently reading
20277 people want to read
About the author
Sara Sligar
3 books281 followersSara Sligar (rhymes with spy car) is an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Southern California. Her first novel, Take Me Apart, was published by MCD in April 2020. It was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. in Modern European History from the University of Cambridge. Her next novel, Vantage Point, is forthcoming from MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux in January 2025.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 788 reviews
May 8, 2020
i know this just came out last month but y’all better not keep sleeping on this book!!!!
more of a literary psychological drama than a traditional thriller, this is a book that explores the pressures of art, marriage, and motherhood. it connects two women through their struggles, intertwining their lives in a way that completely grabbed my attention and i would highly recommend!
cw: suicide, discussions about loss of a loved one & grief, mentions of self harm, domestic violence, rape/sexual assault, postpartum psychosis, bipolar disorder
more of a literary psychological drama than a traditional thriller, this is a book that explores the pressures of art, marriage, and motherhood. it connects two women through their struggles, intertwining their lives in a way that completely grabbed my attention and i would highly recommend!
cw: suicide, discussions about loss of a loved one & grief, mentions of self harm, domestic violence, rape/sexual assault, postpartum psychosis, bipolar disorder
Want to read
May 9, 2020Kat told me to
November 16, 2020
It was not the thriller that I was looking forward to read but it’s promising, effective, well-written psychological drama/ mystery.
So you may be asking why I gave Switzerland treatment to this book by giving 3 stars: Well, I have complex feelings about narration.
Some parts of the book belongs to Miranda’s story deserved 4 to 5 stars because it was complex, surprising, exhilarating, moving, strong parts of the novel but when I go to present, abuse story and #metoo movement parts do not seem genuine or relatable for me. My starts going back between 2 to 3 and sometimes they dropped to 1 when the boredom takes over. But I still have to emphasize: this is still good reading and the author has so much potential, talent to share.
Let me summarize the plot: Miranda Brand is highly achieved photographer dies mysteriously leaving so many question marks behind. She seems like she have it all: a beautiful family, a thriving successful career. Her death cannot be suicide, can be?
After his dead’s sudden dead, their son Theo decides to clear the estate and but he needs someone to adroitly organize her mother’s belongings. She hires our present time heroine Kate Aitken: suffering from depression, needing a quick fresh start after being accused a superior sexual harassment at her work place in NYC and gets sacked. As soon as she moves to West Coast to a small town where her uncle and aunt live, she hears about famous photographer’s tragic story who committed suicide 20 years ago. But we still don’t for sure if she really did that!
So she applies for a job for working as an archivist to organize Miranda’s documents, correspondences are piled up like big mountains and more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR (Okay, I’m taking it back, nothing can be more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR and me if someone hides my wine bottles!), gets hired by Theo who acts quirky and distanced around her. But he is also charming and demanding. Of course it’s evitable as they start to spend more time, they get closer and form a romantic relationship. But why Theo has so many secrets? And he fails from anger management control, doesn’t he? Could he do something to his mother?
We’re moving back and forth between Kate and Miranda’s stories. We learn more about Miranda’s painful past from her diary pages which are better crafted, more layered, emotional. We see her isolation, depression and fights with her inner demons and her ups and downs of her mental state. And of course there are romantic parts help to conclude and intercept the stories.
Overall: this is emotional, moving, action packed women’s fiction. I couldn’t relate with Kate but I truly loved Miranda’s story and my cruel heart ached for her. It’s still well-written and enjoyable book, I didn’t get bored a little bit but I was expecting a thriller and Kate’s parts of the story a little annoyed me and I read them mandatorily. So 3.25 stars but I’m looking forward to read more books of the author because I loved her moving and creative way of playing with words and reaching our hearts with heartbreaking story of Miranda.
So much special thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Status and Giroux for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review.
So you may be asking why I gave Switzerland treatment to this book by giving 3 stars: Well, I have complex feelings about narration.
Some parts of the book belongs to Miranda’s story deserved 4 to 5 stars because it was complex, surprising, exhilarating, moving, strong parts of the novel but when I go to present, abuse story and #metoo movement parts do not seem genuine or relatable for me. My starts going back between 2 to 3 and sometimes they dropped to 1 when the boredom takes over. But I still have to emphasize: this is still good reading and the author has so much potential, talent to share.
Let me summarize the plot: Miranda Brand is highly achieved photographer dies mysteriously leaving so many question marks behind. She seems like she have it all: a beautiful family, a thriving successful career. Her death cannot be suicide, can be?
After his dead’s sudden dead, their son Theo decides to clear the estate and but he needs someone to adroitly organize her mother’s belongings. She hires our present time heroine Kate Aitken: suffering from depression, needing a quick fresh start after being accused a superior sexual harassment at her work place in NYC and gets sacked. As soon as she moves to West Coast to a small town where her uncle and aunt live, she hears about famous photographer’s tragic story who committed suicide 20 years ago. But we still don’t for sure if she really did that!
So she applies for a job for working as an archivist to organize Miranda’s documents, correspondences are piled up like big mountains and more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR (Okay, I’m taking it back, nothing can be more terrifying than my MOUNT TBR and me if someone hides my wine bottles!), gets hired by Theo who acts quirky and distanced around her. But he is also charming and demanding. Of course it’s evitable as they start to spend more time, they get closer and form a romantic relationship. But why Theo has so many secrets? And he fails from anger management control, doesn’t he? Could he do something to his mother?
We’re moving back and forth between Kate and Miranda’s stories. We learn more about Miranda’s painful past from her diary pages which are better crafted, more layered, emotional. We see her isolation, depression and fights with her inner demons and her ups and downs of her mental state. And of course there are romantic parts help to conclude and intercept the stories.
Overall: this is emotional, moving, action packed women’s fiction. I couldn’t relate with Kate but I truly loved Miranda’s story and my cruel heart ached for her. It’s still well-written and enjoyable book, I didn’t get bored a little bit but I was expecting a thriller and Kate’s parts of the story a little annoyed me and I read them mandatorily. So 3.25 stars but I’m looking forward to read more books of the author because I loved her moving and creative way of playing with words and reaching our hearts with heartbreaking story of Miranda.
So much special thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Status and Giroux for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review.
April 7, 2020
This book didn’t start off well for me. The writing grated on me. At times, it bordered on cheesy and at others, came across as just plain melodramatic.
Kate has lost her job as a journalist in New York, the victim of sexual harassment. She takes a new job in California as an archivist cataloguing the work of Miranda Brand, a famous, now dead photographer. It’s not an easy job, as everything has been thrown in one room, including trash. And Theo, Miranda’s son, is the typical cryptic boss - secretive, harsh. He came across as a cliche, really.
The chapters flip back and forth between Kate and Miranda. At least Miranda’s chapters were interesting, especially when she wrote about her photography. Kate comes across as bland, flat, despite her psychological problems and prior history. Things unfold pretty much as you would expect.
In a nutshell, the book just didn’t excite me. I will say, it picked up for the last quarter, but by then, it was too little, too late.
My thanks to netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance copy of this book.
Kate has lost her job as a journalist in New York, the victim of sexual harassment. She takes a new job in California as an archivist cataloguing the work of Miranda Brand, a famous, now dead photographer. It’s not an easy job, as everything has been thrown in one room, including trash. And Theo, Miranda’s son, is the typical cryptic boss - secretive, harsh. He came across as a cliche, really.
The chapters flip back and forth between Kate and Miranda. At least Miranda’s chapters were interesting, especially when she wrote about her photography. Kate comes across as bland, flat, despite her psychological problems and prior history. Things unfold pretty much as you would expect.
In a nutshell, the book just didn’t excite me. I will say, it picked up for the last quarter, but by then, it was too little, too late.
My thanks to netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance copy of this book.
March 16, 2020
Miranda Brand was a famous artist / photographer that dies mysteriously during the height of her career. After her husband dies her son Theo is tasked with clearing out their estate. Miranda was not one for organization and her office resembles that of a hoarder so he hires Kate Aiken to archive his mothers work.
While Theo is handsome he is also mysterious and menacing in his own way but Kate can't help but to be attracted to him. After leaving her job in NYC due to inappropriate behavior by a male co-worker the last thing she needs is to start a relationship with her boss.
As she begins to archive Miranda's work she is beginning to see the bigger picture. One of deep depression, physical, and emotional abuse. Kate can't help but wonder if Miranda did indeed commit suicide or if something more sinister happened. Kate decides to do her own investigating and will question and accuse any one that will listen to her.
The chapters alternate between Kate (present day) and Miranda's personal letters and diary. I found the Miranda chapters quite compelling (4 stars) but the Kate chapters were weak in comparison (2 stars). I guess that places this one firmly at 3 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and MCD for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While Theo is handsome he is also mysterious and menacing in his own way but Kate can't help but to be attracted to him. After leaving her job in NYC due to inappropriate behavior by a male co-worker the last thing she needs is to start a relationship with her boss.
As she begins to archive Miranda's work she is beginning to see the bigger picture. One of deep depression, physical, and emotional abuse. Kate can't help but wonder if Miranda did indeed commit suicide or if something more sinister happened. Kate decides to do her own investigating and will question and accuse any one that will listen to her.
The chapters alternate between Kate (present day) and Miranda's personal letters and diary. I found the Miranda chapters quite compelling (4 stars) but the Kate chapters were weak in comparison (2 stars). I guess that places this one firmly at 3 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and MCD for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 29, 2020
I could not pull myself away from Sara Sligar’s debut, Take Me Apart. I probably sound like a broken record every time I laud a slow-burn suspense novel like this, but it really was that good. Her writing is both expressive and smart, with characters that are so distinctly human that they probably resemble actual people you know. There’s so many things I loved about this book; this review is probably just going to be me listing them out for you here.
This is the first thriller I’ve read in a while where someone isn’t murdered in the first few chapters. So if you’re expecting the story to start with a bang, you may be kept waiting a while. Instead we follow Kate, a former journalist, now an archivist, who takes a job in the California Bay Area in order to get away from her old life and career. There’s a lot that’s left murky surrounding her past, and as she slowly peels back the layers of the family she’s now working for, we get to uncover more of what Kate’s kept hidden.
My primary draw initially was to Miranda Brand, the famous artist whom Kate is now chronicling. She’s a fascinating character, and some of the best parts in the book are her transcripts, diary entries and letters that come at the end of each chapter. Kate becomes increasingly entangled in the enigma that is Miranda Brand, but also by her son, Theo, and his two young children, Jemima and Oscar.
I was struck at how thematic this mystery was. Through the flashbacks to the late 80s and early 90s back to present day, Sligar really delved into some heavy topics, and did so with immense skill. Take Me Apart covers mental health, both the realities of and the stigma surrounding it, public image vs private life, nature vs nurture and more all while keeping and building tension. There’s even a peek into the utter tediousness and ineptitude of the US healthcare system.
This is definitely a post-#MeToo novel. So much of Kate and Miranda’s lives are shaped by the men around them. Sligar uses her ‘strong female characters’ as an indictment of the world they live in. Through Miranda’s work specifically, we’re asked to examine the way that female pain is monetized and romanticized as a consumable piece of art. We believe so much has changed, but has it really? I’m not sure, but I find it hard to imagine this story being written in the same way even five years ago.
But beyond all of that, this was just a really addictive book. My pulse started racing when the characters’ did, and I couldn’t turn down my frenetic reading pace until I finished it. I haven’t had my mood shifted in this way for quite a while, and I’m excited to see what Sara Sligar comes out with next.
*Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux & Netgalley for an advance copy!
This is the first thriller I’ve read in a while where someone isn’t murdered in the first few chapters. So if you’re expecting the story to start with a bang, you may be kept waiting a while. Instead we follow Kate, a former journalist, now an archivist, who takes a job in the California Bay Area in order to get away from her old life and career. There’s a lot that’s left murky surrounding her past, and as she slowly peels back the layers of the family she’s now working for, we get to uncover more of what Kate’s kept hidden.
My primary draw initially was to Miranda Brand, the famous artist whom Kate is now chronicling. She’s a fascinating character, and some of the best parts in the book are her transcripts, diary entries and letters that come at the end of each chapter. Kate becomes increasingly entangled in the enigma that is Miranda Brand, but also by her son, Theo, and his two young children, Jemima and Oscar.
I was struck at how thematic this mystery was. Through the flashbacks to the late 80s and early 90s back to present day, Sligar really delved into some heavy topics, and did so with immense skill. Take Me Apart covers mental health, both the realities of and the stigma surrounding it, public image vs private life, nature vs nurture and more all while keeping and building tension. There’s even a peek into the utter tediousness and ineptitude of the US healthcare system.
This is definitely a post-#MeToo novel. So much of Kate and Miranda’s lives are shaped by the men around them. Sligar uses her ‘strong female characters’ as an indictment of the world they live in. Through Miranda’s work specifically, we’re asked to examine the way that female pain is monetized and romanticized as a consumable piece of art. We believe so much has changed, but has it really? I’m not sure, but I find it hard to imagine this story being written in the same way even five years ago.
But beyond all of that, this was just a really addictive book. My pulse started racing when the characters’ did, and I couldn’t turn down my frenetic reading pace until I finished it. I haven’t had my mood shifted in this way for quite a while, and I’m excited to see what Sara Sligar comes out with next.
*Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux & Netgalley for an advance copy!
December 5, 2019
This is a nuanced addition to the psychological thriller subgenre. Don’t go into it expecting a typical twisty thriller. This is much more of an examination of mental health of the archivist as well as the famous, deceased artist whose life she is trying to piece together from the remnants of her life. Deceit, betrayal, the subjugation of women, and motherhood among many other issues come into play.
dnf
August 28, 2021DNF 50%
Take Me Apart...you are basic.
While I really dislike abandoning books halfway through, I just can't do it anymore. So far everything about Take Me Apart is 'basic': been there, done that.
✔ a dual storyline following two women
✔ the woman in the 'now' becomes increasingly obsessed by the dead/missing/older woman
✔ there is a handsome guy who might be dangerous (he usually has olive skin, dark hair, and smells mysteriously sexy)
✔ one of the women is running away from her past
✔ the other woman also has a lot of secrets
✔ a splash of pop feminism masquerading as a raw portrayal of the female experience/creativity
✔ an incredibly generic house in which bad stuff may have happened
I really love books that focus on artists, and some of my favourite ones revolve around female photographers, such as Self-Portrait with Boy and Generation Loss. In these two novels we learn of the character's relationship to their art, their techniques, their struggles for recognition. Half-way through Take Me Apart and I know very little about Miranda's work. We know it's 'visceral', and bloody, and oh so feminist!
I was hoping that the book would at least give us a vivid impression of the art world during the 80s but...it doesn't.
Sara Sligar tries to shock her readers through Miranda's unfiltered diaries, but to be honest I didn't find Miranda's language particularly 'transgressive' or 'empowering'. Wow, she uses the word vagina, how real she is. There are a few gratuitous scenes that are meant to show us just all the terrible ways in which women's bodies and minds are controlled and debased by men. Time and again Sligar sacrifices realism for dramatic effect.
Then we have Kate. Jeez. If you've ever read a book that was classified as a domestic thriller, then you already know her. She's different, she has issues, she hasn't had it easy. Her idiocy is made to seem as necessary, because only she will be able to uncover the truth behind x (in this case, Miranda's life and suicide). These characters decide to play detective, thinking they are some sort of modern Miss Marple, even if they have no idea what they're doing. They ask stupid question that will obviously rile people up. Kate believes she's entitled to learn about Miranda's private life because she was hired by Theo, Miranda's son, to create an archive of his mother's stuff.
Also, having just met Theo she believes that she has some sort right over him...sure Kate. Cause that's not creepy. After a few tense interactions she cries out to him to 'act like a human being!'. Kate is a voyeur, and she wants to witness Theo's grief...and I'm supposed to feel for her? Because of the 'big bad thing' that made her leave New York? Sure, whatever.
The novel's more dramatic scenes were incredibly unconvincing.
Sligar also tries to incorporate racial inequality in her story by throwing in two women of colour whose only purpose is to remind Kate of social privilege. These two characters do not have personalities nor extended scenes but appear only so that the narrative can superficially touch upon race.
Take Me Apart fails to be shocking, woke, artsy, or real. The more I read, the more aggravated I became. This novel is beyond mediocre, yet the narrative take itself so seriously. Life's too short and all of that so I'm going to say bye bye to this terrible novel.
Take Me Apart...you are basic.
While I really dislike abandoning books halfway through, I just can't do it anymore. So far everything about Take Me Apart is 'basic': been there, done that.
✔ a dual storyline following two women
✔ the woman in the 'now' becomes increasingly obsessed by the dead/missing/older woman
✔ there is a handsome guy who might be dangerous (he usually has olive skin, dark hair, and smells mysteriously sexy)
✔ one of the women is running away from her past
✔ the other woman also has a lot of secrets
✔ a splash of pop feminism masquerading as a raw portrayal of the female experience/creativity
✔ an incredibly generic house in which bad stuff may have happened
I really love books that focus on artists, and some of my favourite ones revolve around female photographers, such as Self-Portrait with Boy and Generation Loss. In these two novels we learn of the character's relationship to their art, their techniques, their struggles for recognition. Half-way through Take Me Apart and I know very little about Miranda's work. We know it's 'visceral', and bloody, and oh so feminist!
I was hoping that the book would at least give us a vivid impression of the art world during the 80s but...it doesn't.
Sara Sligar tries to shock her readers through Miranda's unfiltered diaries, but to be honest I didn't find Miranda's language particularly 'transgressive' or 'empowering'. Wow, she uses the word vagina, how real she is. There are a few gratuitous scenes that are meant to show us just all the terrible ways in which women's bodies and minds are controlled and debased by men. Time and again Sligar sacrifices realism for dramatic effect.
Then we have Kate. Jeez. If you've ever read a book that was classified as a domestic thriller, then you already know her. She's different, she has issues, she hasn't had it easy. Her idiocy is made to seem as necessary, because only she will be able to uncover the truth behind x (in this case, Miranda's life and suicide). These characters decide to play detective, thinking they are some sort of modern Miss Marple, even if they have no idea what they're doing. They ask stupid question that will obviously rile people up. Kate believes she's entitled to learn about Miranda's private life because she was hired by Theo, Miranda's son, to create an archive of his mother's stuff.
Also, having just met Theo she believes that she has some sort right over him...sure Kate. Cause that's not creepy. After a few tense interactions she cries out to him to 'act like a human being!'. Kate is a voyeur, and she wants to witness Theo's grief...and I'm supposed to feel for her? Because of the 'big bad thing' that made her leave New York? Sure, whatever.
The novel's more dramatic scenes were incredibly unconvincing.
Sligar also tries to incorporate racial inequality in her story by throwing in two women of colour whose only purpose is to remind Kate of social privilege. These two characters do not have personalities nor extended scenes but appear only so that the narrative can superficially touch upon race.
Take Me Apart fails to be shocking, woke, artsy, or real. The more I read, the more aggravated I became. This novel is beyond mediocre, yet the narrative take itself so seriously. Life's too short and all of that so I'm going to say bye bye to this terrible novel.
April 3, 2021
This is a well-written, slow burning story about an archivist, Kate, who is putting together the life of famed artist Miranda, who died in the 1980s by a shotgun blast. Commonly believed to be a suicide, was it something more?
The book alternates between Kate’s investigation and her budding relationship with Miranda’s son Theo (who was 11 at the time of Miranda’s death), and alternately, the entries in Miranda’s newly discovered diary that Kate is slowly reading. I was very compelled and interested by the diary entries. Miranda’s unique voice comes across loud and clear and is fascinating and reflective of her boundary-pushing art. Miranda is a Cindy Sherman type modern art photographer who uses herself in her provocative and disturbing works, and her life follows a similar path.
I was somewhat less interested in the more mild-mannered Kate and her relationship with Theo, and usually found myself racing to get to the next Miranda diary entry.
The whole book is well-written and the ending is excellent. I felt I left the story with a vivid picture of who Miranda was, but I wished I had been able to relate to Kate a little better. Nonetheless the book was haunting and Sligar’s writing is great — pretty, thoughtful, and languid. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Text Publishing, NetGalley, abd the author for the ARC.
The book alternates between Kate’s investigation and her budding relationship with Miranda’s son Theo (who was 11 at the time of Miranda’s death), and alternately, the entries in Miranda’s newly discovered diary that Kate is slowly reading. I was very compelled and interested by the diary entries. Miranda’s unique voice comes across loud and clear and is fascinating and reflective of her boundary-pushing art. Miranda is a Cindy Sherman type modern art photographer who uses herself in her provocative and disturbing works, and her life follows a similar path.
I was somewhat less interested in the more mild-mannered Kate and her relationship with Theo, and usually found myself racing to get to the next Miranda diary entry.
The whole book is well-written and the ending is excellent. I felt I left the story with a vivid picture of who Miranda was, but I wished I had been able to relate to Kate a little better. Nonetheless the book was haunting and Sligar’s writing is great — pretty, thoughtful, and languid. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Text Publishing, NetGalley, abd the author for the ARC.
May 9, 2020
“Take Me Apart” is an interesting suspense novel. I wouldn’t categorize it as a thriller because the pace is too slow and brooding.
It’s a character driven story, told in third person. The character Kate Aitken begins the story flying from NYC to Northern California. Kate is running from her last job where there was a questionable dismissal. She will be living with her probing Aunt and Uncle while she works as an art archivist creating order of a famous artist’s works and collections.
The artist, Miranda Brand, was a controversial photographer who died twenty-four years prior. Her son, Theo Brand, is opening his childhood home and paying Kate to go through his mother’s papers. Miranda’s story is told through the paperwork which includes birth records, college disciplinary papers, emails, letters, and a diary. The diary Kate found by snooping.
It’s clear that Kate has some mental issues. Reading what she’s doing in the house, spying and conducting her own research leaves the reader on edge and uneasy. There are hints that she should be on medication and seeking a psychiatrist, which adds to the creepiness of Kate’s chapters.
Miranda’s journal allows the reader to see her slow fall into mental illness. Miranda is institutionalized for post-partum depression. Reading her journal is like getting into the mind of a rapidly degrading psyche. The subtext of this story is mental illness and its effects on lives. Both Kate and Miranda are train-wrecks to read about. Author Sara Sligar has a profound knowledge of depression and manic behavior and the flawed reasonings that dominate a mentally diseased mind.
I liked this story, but I cannot say I loved it. It surly occupied my mind in this current COVID-19 period.
It’s a character driven story, told in third person. The character Kate Aitken begins the story flying from NYC to Northern California. Kate is running from her last job where there was a questionable dismissal. She will be living with her probing Aunt and Uncle while she works as an art archivist creating order of a famous artist’s works and collections.
The artist, Miranda Brand, was a controversial photographer who died twenty-four years prior. Her son, Theo Brand, is opening his childhood home and paying Kate to go through his mother’s papers. Miranda’s story is told through the paperwork which includes birth records, college disciplinary papers, emails, letters, and a diary. The diary Kate found by snooping.
It’s clear that Kate has some mental issues. Reading what she’s doing in the house, spying and conducting her own research leaves the reader on edge and uneasy. There are hints that she should be on medication and seeking a psychiatrist, which adds to the creepiness of Kate’s chapters.
Miranda’s journal allows the reader to see her slow fall into mental illness. Miranda is institutionalized for post-partum depression. Reading her journal is like getting into the mind of a rapidly degrading psyche. The subtext of this story is mental illness and its effects on lives. Both Kate and Miranda are train-wrecks to read about. Author Sara Sligar has a profound knowledge of depression and manic behavior and the flawed reasonings that dominate a mentally diseased mind.
I liked this story, but I cannot say I loved it. It surly occupied my mind in this current COVID-19 period.
May 6, 2020
TAKE ME APART is a stunning debut. In gorgeous prose, Sara Sligar creates a haunting and decidedly feminist literary thriller that explores mental illness, violence, and the nature of obsession. I loved this novel so much that I blew off all my responsibilities, turned off my phone, and blistered through the whole thing in one sitting. Unforgettable and thought-provoking, TAKE ME APART has my highest recommendation.
October 20, 2020
Take Me Apart was one of those books that truly had me scratching my head like "what is the point?" We're following Kate, who recently lost a high profile job for reasons unknown (to be revealed as the book goes on), so she moves in with her aunt across the country and starts a new job archiving all the files and works of two famous artists (now both dead) under the supervision of their son, Theo. Everyone believes that one of the artists, Miranda, killed herself, but Kate is determined to prove that Miranda was actually murdered. Spoiler alert:
I had a few major issues with the book. First, it's told from alternating perspectives—the first is Kate's, and the second is Miranda's through her journal and other files, news paper clippings, medical records, receipts, etc. that she had saved over the years. When we get to the Miranda chapters, they start by telling us how the following file has been sorted (i.e. Series 1, Box 1, Folder Name), implying that Kate has already sorted through that file. But then, in Kate's subsequent chapter, she had no idea about the information contained in the file. I'm guessing it was an intentional choice by the author to have us learn about Miranda's life, yet keep Kate in the dark while she tries to unravel the "mystery," but it felt super weird that we would know more about Miranda than Kate since Kate's job was to spend her days reading through all of Miranda's files. Even when Kate was actively reading through Miranda's journal, there was hardly any indication that she knew the same information we knew as the reader, even though we were supposedly getting the same information. Even though Kate kept claiming that she felt really connected to Miranda, and that she was learning all this stuff about Miranda by reading the files, the only time Kate ever actually learned something about Miranda was through listening to the town gossip and by talking to people who were in her life when she was alive (Miranda's friend, the art dealer, and the cop who investigated her death).
Another thing I didn't like was Kate and Theo's relationship. I usually don't care for relationships in mystery/thrillers, and I found this one to be particularly annoying. I can't even tell you how much I hate when a man is being rude to a woman, and then the woman's inner dialogue is like "I couldn't believe how poorly he was treating me, but I couldn't stop thinking about kissing him" ... y'all this book is full of shit like this and it's problematic and gross. Furthermore, the two of them don't even make sense as a couple. Theo is rude to Kate from the first moment they meet. ....who treats an employee like this?? Honestly this is classified as workplace abuse in my mind. Then he justifies it by saying And Kate is no saint either. She constantly Then, on top of that, she has the audacity to Anyway, the true kicker is at the end, when
Lastly, I felt that the journey we took was all over the place. We're told one thing, then it's debunked, then its presented as an option again, then it's like jkjk, then it's like but maybe... I didn't find this exciting, I found it annoying and frustrating. When we get to the end and learn that , I was left incredibly dissatisfied.
Overall, I think Miranda's chapters had some good commentary about being a woman in the arts, white privilege, gaslighting, mental health, pressures of motherhood and marriage, etc. but Kate's chapters were irredeemable and made the whole thing a bit of a waste of time.
I had a few major issues with the book. First, it's told from alternating perspectives—the first is Kate's, and the second is Miranda's through her journal and other files, news paper clippings, medical records, receipts, etc. that she had saved over the years. When we get to the Miranda chapters, they start by telling us how the following file has been sorted (i.e. Series 1, Box 1, Folder Name), implying that Kate has already sorted through that file. But then, in Kate's subsequent chapter, she had no idea about the information contained in the file. I'm guessing it was an intentional choice by the author to have us learn about Miranda's life, yet keep Kate in the dark while she tries to unravel the "mystery," but it felt super weird that we would know more about Miranda than Kate since Kate's job was to spend her days reading through all of Miranda's files. Even when Kate was actively reading through Miranda's journal, there was hardly any indication that she knew the same information we knew as the reader, even though we were supposedly getting the same information. Even though Kate kept claiming that she felt really connected to Miranda, and that she was learning all this stuff about Miranda by reading the files, the only time Kate ever actually learned something about Miranda was through listening to the town gossip and by talking to people who were in her life when she was alive (Miranda's friend, the art dealer, and the cop who investigated her death).
Another thing I didn't like was Kate and Theo's relationship. I usually don't care for relationships in mystery/thrillers, and I found this one to be particularly annoying. I can't even tell you how much I hate when a man is being rude to a woman, and then the woman's inner dialogue is like "I couldn't believe how poorly he was treating me, but I couldn't stop thinking about kissing him" ... y'all this book is full of shit like this and it's problematic and gross. Furthermore, the two of them don't even make sense as a couple. Theo is rude to Kate from the first moment they meet. ....who treats an employee like this?? Honestly this is classified as workplace abuse in my mind. Then he justifies it by saying And Kate is no saint either. She constantly Then, on top of that, she has the audacity to Anyway, the true kicker is at the end, when
Lastly, I felt that the journey we took was all over the place. We're told one thing, then it's debunked, then its presented as an option again, then it's like jkjk, then it's like but maybe... I didn't find this exciting, I found it annoying and frustrating. When we get to the end and learn that , I was left incredibly dissatisfied.
Overall, I think Miranda's chapters had some good commentary about being a woman in the arts, white privilege, gaslighting, mental health, pressures of motherhood and marriage, etc. but Kate's chapters were irredeemable and made the whole thing a bit of a waste of time.
February 13, 2020
Set in the fictional Northern California town of Callinas (Bolinas?), near the fog-shrouded edge of the continent where the cliffs drop off into the sea at Point Reyes, “Take Me Apart” is a psychological portrait of Kate Aitken, who is literally falling apart. Once an up and coming NYC-based journalist, Kate’s life fell apart after she accused a superior of sexual harassment. In the fall out, she suffered depression.
Now, she is starting a new life -at least temporarily- in the hills north of the San Francisco Bay. It’s a small insular town where her aunt and uncle live and a famous photographer and icon, Miranda Brand, who suffered from many psychiatric ailments took her own life twenty years ago -or did she. There are still whispers around town that the artist’s 11 year old son, an odd one to be sure, fired the fatal shot. Of course, that wouldn’t be more than ancient history except Kate has taken a job over the summer with the son, Theo, as the archivist putting some organization to Miranda’s papers and correspondence which are still piled up in a hoarder’s dream in the big old house. And, the son, Theo, is odd, stand-offish, distant, and quite a bit creepy.
The story alternates between Kate’s life now and the correspondence and diary entries from Miranda’s heyday. Kate is attracted to the strange young man who has so many family secrets, but can’t stop herself from investigating whether Miranda took her own life or was the victim of her son’s wrath or someone else.
This is not an action-packed story. Before reading it, I actually thought more was going to happen than actually did. There’s little indeed that takes place other than perhaps a budding romance. It’s more a story about Kate’s inner thoughts and emotions and the connection she has with the woman from the past, Miranda. It would probably be categorized as more “women’s fiction” than a thriller. Not my usual genre, but the writing is compelling. And, it is easy to read and absorbing.
Now, she is starting a new life -at least temporarily- in the hills north of the San Francisco Bay. It’s a small insular town where her aunt and uncle live and a famous photographer and icon, Miranda Brand, who suffered from many psychiatric ailments took her own life twenty years ago -or did she. There are still whispers around town that the artist’s 11 year old son, an odd one to be sure, fired the fatal shot. Of course, that wouldn’t be more than ancient history except Kate has taken a job over the summer with the son, Theo, as the archivist putting some organization to Miranda’s papers and correspondence which are still piled up in a hoarder’s dream in the big old house. And, the son, Theo, is odd, stand-offish, distant, and quite a bit creepy.
The story alternates between Kate’s life now and the correspondence and diary entries from Miranda’s heyday. Kate is attracted to the strange young man who has so many family secrets, but can’t stop herself from investigating whether Miranda took her own life or was the victim of her son’s wrath or someone else.
This is not an action-packed story. Before reading it, I actually thought more was going to happen than actually did. There’s little indeed that takes place other than perhaps a budding romance. It’s more a story about Kate’s inner thoughts and emotions and the connection she has with the woman from the past, Miranda. It would probably be categorized as more “women’s fiction” than a thriller. Not my usual genre, but the writing is compelling. And, it is easy to read and absorbing.
December 4, 2020
QUICK TAKE: my biggest complaint about so many thrillers, mysteries, domestic suspense novels these days is so many of them blend together and feel forgettable. Which is why I can’t stop recommending Sligar’s TAKE ME APART, a slow-burn mystery about an archivist who moves to a small California town and takes a job archiving the work and personal effects of a famous photographer who died under mysterious circumstances at the height of her career. Not only does the writing elevate this book beyond the run-of-the-mill books in the genre, but the alternating timeline POVs allow the mystery to slowly reveal itself while building tension, and the book does an excellent job of exploring relevant themes, including feminism, power dynamics, gaslighting, and motherhood. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is a must-add to your #tbr.
March 18, 2025
Why do I feel like I've read this story before, just featuring slightly different characters? There was something exceedingly familiar about the whole thing that I can't quite put my finger on.
The characters weren't bad but they were also not particularly memorable. The way Miranda got to her ending wasn't satisfying which was fitting but didn't make for a particularly enjoyable reading experience.
The characters weren't bad but they were also not particularly memorable. The way Miranda got to her ending wasn't satisfying which was fitting but didn't make for a particularly enjoyable reading experience.
January 20, 2020
3.5 stars. You can read TAKE ME APART as a mystery. I don't think it's the ideal reading, but you certainly can. Kate has left her life as a journalist in New York after she was the victim of workplace sexual harassment. She is unsteady and at sea, trying to keep her bipolar disorder in check as she rebuilds her life. She has moved in with her Aunt and Uncle in California where she has taken on a temporary job as an archivist for Theo, the son of Miranda Brand, a famous feminist photographer and artist who died when he was a child.
The mystery builds as Kate learns more and more about Miranda as she sorts through her papers, and even finds her diary. Miranda also struggles with mental illness and Kate becomes invested in her to an extent that clearly isn't healthy. But she focuses her efforts on trying to find out the truth about Miranda's death. It is officially suicide, but she suspects Miranda was murdered and she is desperate to find the truth.
I say it's not the ideal reading to see this as a mystery because a mystery doesn't make the answer quite clear the entire time. And if you are able to read the book without losing yourself in Kate's point of view, everything is right there. You can explain Theo's stiff and cagey behavior, the suspicions of everyone in the small town, and what became of Miranda. Kate cannot see it, though. Because Kate is not attending to her mental health the way she should. The marketing copy here is not my favorite, because this is not Kate's fragile hold of sanity. Kate is sane, she is just stuck and prone to get overly focused on the details rather than the big picture. She does not always make healthy decisions. She still hasn't found enough stability to focus on growth. I suspect readers who have had their own struggles with mental illness will recognize this in Kate. Sligar's writing of her is not as insensitive as the jacket copy, and this doesn't come off as a cruel depiction of a bipolar character. Kate can describe her own patterns and issues, she just doesn't always recognize them in the moment.
Sometimes in a crime novel I get to a point where I get very frustrated with the protagonist because they are making what are clearly bad decisions. Kate makes lots of them. But at least with Kate I understand why she makes them. It isn't just for the sake of the plot. It is Kate grasping as hard as she can on to what she has decided is important.
The book includes lots of Miranda Brand's letters and her diary. These are sometimes more clunky than Kate's own mental health struggles, but I often find that this is just what happens when you use diary entries and such to build out the plot, so I forgive it somewhat.
There is a lot about mental health in here. There are frequent references to suicide, self-harm, postpartum psychosis, and a psychiatric hospitalization.
This reminded me a lot of WOMAN NO. 17 by Edan Lepucki, so if you liked that you will probably like this, too. They are both about mysterious female artists, they are both set in California, they both have a young woman reeling from her own failures who becomes overly obsessed with the artist. With all that said, they are also quite different and TAKE ME APART is interesting in its own right.
The mystery builds as Kate learns more and more about Miranda as she sorts through her papers, and even finds her diary. Miranda also struggles with mental illness and Kate becomes invested in her to an extent that clearly isn't healthy. But she focuses her efforts on trying to find out the truth about Miranda's death. It is officially suicide, but she suspects Miranda was murdered and she is desperate to find the truth.
I say it's not the ideal reading to see this as a mystery because a mystery doesn't make the answer quite clear the entire time. And if you are able to read the book without losing yourself in Kate's point of view, everything is right there. You can explain Theo's stiff and cagey behavior, the suspicions of everyone in the small town, and what became of Miranda. Kate cannot see it, though. Because Kate is not attending to her mental health the way she should. The marketing copy here is not my favorite, because this is not Kate's fragile hold of sanity. Kate is sane, she is just stuck and prone to get overly focused on the details rather than the big picture. She does not always make healthy decisions. She still hasn't found enough stability to focus on growth. I suspect readers who have had their own struggles with mental illness will recognize this in Kate. Sligar's writing of her is not as insensitive as the jacket copy, and this doesn't come off as a cruel depiction of a bipolar character. Kate can describe her own patterns and issues, she just doesn't always recognize them in the moment.
Sometimes in a crime novel I get to a point where I get very frustrated with the protagonist because they are making what are clearly bad decisions. Kate makes lots of them. But at least with Kate I understand why she makes them. It isn't just for the sake of the plot. It is Kate grasping as hard as she can on to what she has decided is important.
The book includes lots of Miranda Brand's letters and her diary. These are sometimes more clunky than Kate's own mental health struggles, but I often find that this is just what happens when you use diary entries and such to build out the plot, so I forgive it somewhat.
There is a lot about mental health in here. There are frequent references to suicide, self-harm, postpartum psychosis, and a psychiatric hospitalization.
This reminded me a lot of WOMAN NO. 17 by Edan Lepucki, so if you liked that you will probably like this, too. They are both about mysterious female artists, they are both set in California, they both have a young woman reeling from her own failures who becomes overly obsessed with the artist. With all that said, they are also quite different and TAKE ME APART is interesting in its own right.
August 10, 2020
Always ignore the stars and instead read the review. I thought this was a terrific novel. It's a combination of thriller, epistolary novel, love story, and detective story. It's beautifully written with a terrific sense of place: north of San Francisco on the coast in a slightly larger version of (what seems to be) Bolinas than actually exists. The novel tells two stories simultaneously: the life journey of a hugely successful and famous avant-garde photographer, her artist husband, and their troubled son Theo as well as the story of the archivist whom Theo hires to assembles his mother's papers and remaining photographs prior to selling everything. The characters are spot on, the atmosphere of the small town is beautifully drawn, and the tensions that exist among families is explored in fine detail. The author betrays her Southern California identity only twice: She refers to 101 as "the 101" (in Northern California "the"is never used before freeway numbers as in Southern California); she also calls BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) "the BART". Of the two errors, "the BART" is probably more egregious. Otherwise, one heck of a good reading experience.
June 30, 2021
"Sometimes the only reason I want to live is that I still have so much art to make."
Visceral psychological thriller. Sara Sligar successfully crafted a haunting feminist literary that delves into mental illness, sexism, domestic violence, and the complexities of juggling career and marriage. Some parts were slow but I think it was intended to maintain the tension and keep the reader turning pages. The theme of 'success envy between two married artists' kind of reminded me of Walter Keane and Margaret Keane's story in the 1950s and 1960s.
Visceral psychological thriller. Sara Sligar successfully crafted a haunting feminist literary that delves into mental illness, sexism, domestic violence, and the complexities of juggling career and marriage. Some parts were slow but I think it was intended to maintain the tension and keep the reader turning pages. The theme of 'success envy between two married artists' kind of reminded me of Walter Keane and Margaret Keane's story in the 1950s and 1960s.
October 18, 2022
What a waste of fucking time.
June 20, 2020
“Men aren’t afraid of misinterpretation. It’s not dangerous to them. Women, we know bad things can happen when someone misreads you.”
So glad I got an early copy of this book, because now I have a couple months of lead time to scream about how great it is!
I've been eagerly awaiting Sara Sligar's debut, because it includes all my favorite things: difficult women, brooding men, and of course, archival records. TAKE ME APART is my favorite kind of thriller: subtle and psychological rather than action-packed (though trust me, it’ll make your heart pound all the same). At times it even feels like a modern Gothic romance, with Theo as the brooding Mr. Rochester type who’s hiding secrets (thankfully not including a mentally ill wife!) in his attic. The book is also packed full of stunning prose, and I particularly loved the masterful way Sligar rendered Kate's slow unraveling as her obsession with Miranda's life and untimely death takes hold.
Don’t miss this one when it comes out in April 2020!
So glad I got an early copy of this book, because now I have a couple months of lead time to scream about how great it is!
I've been eagerly awaiting Sara Sligar's debut, because it includes all my favorite things: difficult women, brooding men, and of course, archival records. TAKE ME APART is my favorite kind of thriller: subtle and psychological rather than action-packed (though trust me, it’ll make your heart pound all the same). At times it even feels like a modern Gothic romance, with Theo as the brooding Mr. Rochester type who’s hiding secrets (thankfully not including a mentally ill wife!) in his attic. The book is also packed full of stunning prose, and I particularly loved the masterful way Sligar rendered Kate's slow unraveling as her obsession with Miranda's life and untimely death takes hold.
Don’t miss this one when it comes out in April 2020!
February 18, 2020
An ambitious debut of psychological fiction, that can theoretically be sold as a thriller, but isn’t really one. Once upon a time there lived a talented photographer named Miranda who found fame and fortune with her art. She found love with a fellow artist, had a baby and lived happily ever…no, wrong, the music screechingly comes to an abrupt end. Because, of course, what sort of a book would that make. No, this is an entirely different story, albeit based on the same basic facts. And there’s that one last and most salient fact…Miranda’s killed herself under suspicious circumstances at 36 in her own yard. Gone, though not quite forgotten, achieving that certain immortality of the artist, she is still a well known name for some. But for Kate she is now mostly a job, since Kate has been hired by Miranda’s now grown son Theo to archive the written materials left behind his mother. For Theo it’s difficult and traumatic enough just being back at his parents’ place, so he mostly does his best gruff impression of a Bronte or Austen character. You know, the ones who later turn out to be oh so lovable. For Kate it’s an opportunity to get away from a professional scorched earth situation back in NYC and enjoy California sun, while staying with the overbearing but well meaning aunt and a milquetoast uncle. And for Miranda…it’s a chance for the truth about her life and her marriage to finally come out. It’ll take a lot of organizing, deciphering and investigating…but in the end the good shall triumph. Meanwhile, there’s also a somewhat trite and somewhat overdone romance to enjoy, if you’re into that sort of thing. And if not (and good for you), there’s an emotionally devastating depiction of an abusive relationship, depression and suicide. Really, that’s where the novel genuinely excels. The sunny side up might be there to balance out all the darkness, but it’s the darkness that is memorable and emotionally engaging. It is Miranda who is the tragic star of this show, not Kate, because Miranda’s story is the one to deliver the most potent punch of all. The diary entries that gradually reveal the closing in walls around her, the claustrophobia of isolation and depression, the spiraling of her life, and her mental state are as riveting as they are tough to get through. That alone makes the book worth reading. Not to say Kate’s story is terrible, but it’s all too MeToo and questionable choices and just not as interesting in comparison. Randomly enough sometimes the side characters are the ones who offer more versatility, in this case the aunt and even once the uncle. There are some debutisms about the book, mainly how heavily it relies on metaphors and similes. At first it was overwhelming and then it either got paired down or I became used to it, but other than that the writing’s really quite good. I found the book to be a fascinating and quite accurate representation of depression and abuse. It isn’t a happy read and it shouldn’t be, though the author has (and I’m not loving this) made overt efforts to brighten it all up with romance and storybook endings, but it is a quite good one. Thanks Netgalley.
April 9, 2020
Thank you to @fsgbooks and @sarasligar for this ARC. 🧡PUB DAY: April 28th,2020
I’m going to be honest and admit I acted a little crazy 😜 just to get this arc. When I saw this on Netgalley and read the synopsis I knew I had to read it. Realizing I couldn’t request this specific one due to my location, I messaged the author, emailed the publisher, and commented on a random picture on the publisher’s IG about how much I needed this.
As it turns out, I’d do it all over again for this book because it was so worth it. “Take Me Apart” not only took me by my heartstrings and ripped them open, but it did exactly what the title said it would: It gripped me. Haunted me. And took me apart. I am still in utter disbelief that this is a debut novel. Sligar’s writing style is seductive, perceptive, avant-garde and simply unforgettable. This is a 5 star read just from Sligar’s prose alone.
In addition, this novel analyzes some very powerful and timeless themes regarding feminism, obsession, gaslighting, mental illness, and the unattainable search for perfection and mass production in the name of art and fame.
I hate comparing just because “Take Me Apart” is so uniquely stunning, but if you loved Verity by CoHo, you will ABSOLUTELY fall in love with this just as I did. I’m calling it, this is my favorite debut novel of the year and my top 5 of all time.
I’m going to be honest and admit I acted a little crazy 😜 just to get this arc. When I saw this on Netgalley and read the synopsis I knew I had to read it. Realizing I couldn’t request this specific one due to my location, I messaged the author, emailed the publisher, and commented on a random picture on the publisher’s IG about how much I needed this.
As it turns out, I’d do it all over again for this book because it was so worth it. “Take Me Apart” not only took me by my heartstrings and ripped them open, but it did exactly what the title said it would: It gripped me. Haunted me. And took me apart. I am still in utter disbelief that this is a debut novel. Sligar’s writing style is seductive, perceptive, avant-garde and simply unforgettable. This is a 5 star read just from Sligar’s prose alone.
In addition, this novel analyzes some very powerful and timeless themes regarding feminism, obsession, gaslighting, mental illness, and the unattainable search for perfection and mass production in the name of art and fame.
I hate comparing just because “Take Me Apart” is so uniquely stunning, but if you loved Verity by CoHo, you will ABSOLUTELY fall in love with this just as I did. I’m calling it, this is my favorite debut novel of the year and my top 5 of all time.
June 27, 2020
I would describe Take Me Apart as a slow burn mystery that delves into the world of these two women. It tackles topics such as mental illness, the powerlessness women feel from men, the expectations of women by society, and domestic abuse.
As a woman who has a mental illness, I felt I was able to strongly connect to these two women and the struggles they face in a society that has an expected image of how a woman should act. A lot of what Sligar touches upon is what many women have experienced today.
The mystery itself wasn’t as interesting to me as these other aspects of the story mentioned. It’s also fairly predictable too. In terms of the characters, I loved Theo, but I did recognize that some of his actions were problematic, but so were Kate’s. I related to both Kate and Miranda, and I was constantly rooting for the both of them. I was pleased with the ending, but I definitely could have done with some more Kate and Theo scenes. They had some really touching moments where they were able to unburden and express everything they’ve been keeping suppressed.
Overall, if you’re looking for a twisty psychological thriller this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking for a mystery that deals with strong women with mental illnesses navigating a society that doesn’t understand or include them, and a portrait of the power relations between men and women, then, this is the book for you.
As a woman who has a mental illness, I felt I was able to strongly connect to these two women and the struggles they face in a society that has an expected image of how a woman should act. A lot of what Sligar touches upon is what many women have experienced today.
The mystery itself wasn’t as interesting to me as these other aspects of the story mentioned. It’s also fairly predictable too. In terms of the characters, I loved Theo, but I did recognize that some of his actions were problematic, but so were Kate’s. I related to both Kate and Miranda, and I was constantly rooting for the both of them. I was pleased with the ending, but I definitely could have done with some more Kate and Theo scenes. They had some really touching moments where they were able to unburden and express everything they’ve been keeping suppressed.
Overall, if you’re looking for a twisty psychological thriller this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking for a mystery that deals with strong women with mental illnesses navigating a society that doesn’t understand or include them, and a portrait of the power relations between men and women, then, this is the book for you.
May 14, 2020
There is one gaping plot hole I just could not get past in this story. The author made Kate an accomplished investigative reporter who is trying to learn the real story in the death of a famous photographer. Then this Cracker Jack Sleuth does not use her phone to take pictures of the entire diary quickly so she could read it all later??? I let it go but then it ends up the entire plausibility of the story hinges on this one fact that Kate cannot finish the diary!!! Argh! So amateurish for such a learned author.
April 4, 2020
A beautifully written page turner with deep insights into feminism, past and present. Loved it.
June 10, 2021
WOW, Take Me Apart by Sara Sligar ended up being a very heavy read which I didn't expect at all. I feel like it would be remiss not to mention domestic abuse is a very heavy theme throughout the novel, and if this is a trigger for you the book will be hard to read. Despite being heavy, I was very intrigued by the concept of Kate being the person to archive Miranda's things, even though she is technically a journalist. As ex-journalists are wont to do, Kate starts her own sleuthing into Miranda's death, and I really enjoyed the mystery aspect to that. I didn't really trust anyone in this book, let alone Theo, and this debut was very well written in my opinion. Kate is our only viewpoint, but this is mixed with excerpts from Miranda's diary, correspondence, and other things, and it really added a lot more to the story. It painted a picture of what her life was like and made me feel like I got a good idea of who she was even though she was deceased.
I loved the audiobook and would highly recommend that route if you are going to pick this up. The narrators are Therese Plummer & Xe Sands with Plummer reading Kate, and Sands reading everything else. This was the perfect combination and I loved how they both narrated their parts. Xe Sands never disappoints, and Therese Plummer didn't either! Take Me Apart has a slower pace to it, while also being full of secrets and questions. I liked the way it kept me guessing, even though I can't say I was super shocked by the ending. It felt like a psychological suspense novel with some obsession thrown in and it was quite the ride. I will definitely be reading whatever Sligar writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I loved the audiobook and would highly recommend that route if you are going to pick this up. The narrators are Therese Plummer & Xe Sands with Plummer reading Kate, and Sands reading everything else. This was the perfect combination and I loved how they both narrated their parts. Xe Sands never disappoints, and Therese Plummer didn't either! Take Me Apart has a slower pace to it, while also being full of secrets and questions. I liked the way it kept me guessing, even though I can't say I was super shocked by the ending. It felt like a psychological suspense novel with some obsession thrown in and it was quite the ride. I will definitely be reading whatever Sligar writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
July 28, 2020
This book was less than thrilling. I ended up skim reading the last 25% of the book. I could see where it was going and just wanted it to end. The ending was less than satisfying. I didn't like any of the characters. I also wasn't a fan of the portrayal of mental illness. I wouldn't recommend this one.
February 11, 2021
i love this sm😭 rtc.
April 17, 2020
TAKE ME APART is Women’s Fiction that covers serious issues about the power disparity between men and women, as well as the emotional toll of trauma and healing. Sliger conveyed her themes and placed the plot within the context of art and also intimacy. The structure isn’t inventive but the pieces interlock well enough. There are pique flashes now and then in this chiefly predictable story.
Modern day journalist, Kate Aitken, is fired from her NYC job, an ambitious career destroyed by formidable men in a #MeToo backstory that is gradually revealed. Kate goes west to a northern California boutique town to posthumously organize a well-known photographer’s personal effects. Miranda Brand died by reported suicide in the early nineties, and her son, Theo, hires Kate to archive her effects and uncover any pieces that may reap rewards.
As this is Sliger’s debut, I applaud her effort and stayed sufficiently involved to finish. She is a compassionate and skilled writer—-(if you aren’t, your abilities are limited). So, if the author takes more risks in subsequent novels, she’ll take off. What this narrative lacked was tension, except on a few occasions; it stuck to a deliberate, formulaic arc. Sliger put together a somewhat derivative story but her writing kept me going. Pace was slack, with wearying repetition and chapters lacking momentum. However, Miranda’s diary breathed vigor and urgency into a dead character that surpassed the living ones.
The title could mean either “destroy me” or “I can put myself back together.” As I progressed, that is the question I would ask about both Kate and Miranda. There were similarities in their tensions and inequity issues with men and mental health anxieties that undermined their desires for recognition. But, for all the narrative filling, it was periodically like a warm, moist cake with too much gooey and sweet pudding in the middle. Pared down, it could have been pacey, provocative, and half the page count. It lagged when Sliger reiterated ordeals, many of them internal, so I just wanted her to get on with it.
If I seem to mostly be complaining about this book, that’s not my full intention. Sliger has much to offer, as soon as she trusts herself enough to leap out of the box. As Miranda said: “New theory: no image is complete without a clue to its continuity. A line that moves beyond the edge. The shadow of an unseen object. A pattern extending outward. Something suffering beyond the edges of the frame.”
I look forward to Sliger’s continued work.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for sending me an ARC.
Modern day journalist, Kate Aitken, is fired from her NYC job, an ambitious career destroyed by formidable men in a #MeToo backstory that is gradually revealed. Kate goes west to a northern California boutique town to posthumously organize a well-known photographer’s personal effects. Miranda Brand died by reported suicide in the early nineties, and her son, Theo, hires Kate to archive her effects and uncover any pieces that may reap rewards.
As this is Sliger’s debut, I applaud her effort and stayed sufficiently involved to finish. She is a compassionate and skilled writer—-(if you aren’t, your abilities are limited). So, if the author takes more risks in subsequent novels, she’ll take off. What this narrative lacked was tension, except on a few occasions; it stuck to a deliberate, formulaic arc. Sliger put together a somewhat derivative story but her writing kept me going. Pace was slack, with wearying repetition and chapters lacking momentum. However, Miranda’s diary breathed vigor and urgency into a dead character that surpassed the living ones.
The title could mean either “destroy me” or “I can put myself back together.” As I progressed, that is the question I would ask about both Kate and Miranda. There were similarities in their tensions and inequity issues with men and mental health anxieties that undermined their desires for recognition. But, for all the narrative filling, it was periodically like a warm, moist cake with too much gooey and sweet pudding in the middle. Pared down, it could have been pacey, provocative, and half the page count. It lagged when Sliger reiterated ordeals, many of them internal, so I just wanted her to get on with it.
If I seem to mostly be complaining about this book, that’s not my full intention. Sliger has much to offer, as soon as she trusts herself enough to leap out of the box. As Miranda said: “New theory: no image is complete without a clue to its continuity. A line that moves beyond the edge. The shadow of an unseen object. A pattern extending outward. Something suffering beyond the edges of the frame.”
I look forward to Sliger’s continued work.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for sending me an ARC.
May 20, 2021
now that the paperback is out i would like all of my 60 goodreads friends to read this. i think about it all of the time
really solid book and i think if you enjoyed miracle creek or celeste ng’s work, you would like this
really solid book and i think if you enjoyed miracle creek or celeste ng’s work, you would like this
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