“A juicy thriller” (Entertainment Weekly) · “Absorbing” (USA Today) · “Dark and thoughtful” (Washington Post) · “Gratifying” (Wall Street Journal) · “Sun-soaked noir” (LA Review of Books) A spellbinding novel of psychological suspense that follows a young archivist’s obsession with her subject’s mysterious death as it threatens to destroy her fragile grasp on sanity. When the famed … threatens to destroy her fragile grasp on sanity.
When the famed photographer Miranda Brand died mysteriously at the height of her career, it sent shock waves through Callinas, California. Decades later, old wounds are reopened when her son Theo hires the ex-journalist Kate Aitken to archive his mother’s work and personal effects.
As Kate sorts through the vast maze of material and contends with the vicious rumors and shocking details of Miranda’s private life, she pieces together a portrait of a vibrant artist buckling under the pressures of ambition, motherhood, and marriage. But Kate has secrets of her own, including a growing attraction to the enigmatic Theo, and when she stumbles across Miranda’s diary, her curiosity spirals into a dangerous obsession.
A seductive, twisting tale of psychological suspense, Take Me Apart draws readers into the lives of two darkly magnetic young women pinned down by secrets and lies. Sara Sligar’s electrifying debut is a chilling, thought-provoking take on art, illness, and power, from a spellbinding new voice in suspense.
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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.
A fabulous, moody thriller about a young woman in need of healing who takes a job archiving the papers of a dead photographer and becomes obsessed with the dead woman’s career, marriage, and unraveled mind — and her son, who might also be his mother’s murderer.
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TAKE ME APART is an exquisite novel of literary suspense. When ex-journalist Kate Aitken takes a job archiving the work and personal effects of Miranda Brand, a famous photographer who is believed to have died by suicide at the height of her career, she has no idea that she will soon be so drawn to Miranda’s life—and the man who hired her, Miranda’s son—that she will tip toward obsession. Embarking on a journey to discover what really happened to the tortured, enigmatic Miranda Brand, Kate is forced to take a deep dive into her own past and confront the traumatic events that destroyed her previous career. The writing in this book is SO GORGEOUS. The language is consistently lyrical but grounded, and I particularly loved the sections that showed us Miranda’s diary entries, through which we come to understand a woman tormented by the pressures of motherhood, marriage, and her own artistic impulses. Those diary entries reminded me a lot of Sylvia Plath’s journals, in that they were crisply poetic and startling in their clarity. I also loved the relationship that develops between Kate and Miranda’s son—and how we are never sure if Kate is endangering herself by getting so close to Theo, or if her attraction to him is due to her growing obsession with his mother. I stayed up way too late finishing this beautiful page-turner, and I was rewarded with an ending that is moving and satisfying, devastating and hopeful. I can’t wait to read whatever Sara Sliger writes next.
This was an amazing story… who would of thought this authors first release could of been so well written. Highly recommend
This was certainly an ambitious debut by Sara Sligar and I look forward to more of what she brings to the genre. I enjoyed this book and was hooked by the premise. The biggest problem: they sold this as a thriller when it isn’t. It includes a mystery, a death that could possibly be murder, but that alone does not make it thrilling. This story focused on the mental health of two women in different time periods, a famous photographer and the archivist hired to sort through the files and letters she left behind. There was a lot of focus on postpartum depression and motherhood as well as sexual harassment. At times, it felt like it was trying to hit a list of female topics of interest to make a statement about each one, yet said nothing groundbreaking.
I think the day to day struggle of both characters was done well, however, I gave it four stars because the archivist, Kate, lacked realistic self-esteem that would be the keystone of a journalist. Journalists must be inquisitive and thick-skinned to find the heart of a story. I completely understand she was humiliated by a chauvinistic man and his peers, but she lets everyone she encounters walk all over her. Her family and friends treat her like fragile china, and at times a child. It got very hard to read without wanting to scream, “Tell them off, Kate!” I like strong women who have weaknesses but Kate was a weak woman who lacked the strength to be in her own shoes, or any shoes. Still, her quest was interesting so I hummed along.
As for Miranda, the photographer, I loved her character. She saved the book for me. Her unpredictable, multi-faceted personality helped move the story along (slowly). Theo (her son) was a bit confusing but I knew that was intentional so I went along with his ups and downs. Overall, this book is a great read when you want to dive into the mind of a photographer or any artist juggling motherhood and marriage with their art.
Sara Sliger makes a most impressive debut with Take Me Apart. She is now on my authors to watch list!
Take Me Apart is a well written character driven, psychological suspense novel which tells the story of two complex women in two different time periods with a common bond (mental illness). Kate Atkins is an ex-journalist who is floundering to recover from the loss of her job, and a spiral into deep depression. Miranda Brand was a famous photographer who struggled with mental illness and, at the height of her career, committed suicide.
Miranda’s son Theo offers Kate a job, asking her to sift through his mother’s mountains of material and create an archive of her works. A narrator tells Kate’s story while Miranda’s story is told through her journal entries and letters. The reader comes to know each of the women a bit at a time, as layers are pulled away uncovering more and more depth.
As Kate works on her herculean task, she becomes involved with Theo and his two young children. The more she learns about Miranda, she begins to doubt that Miranda committed suicide. Soon Kate is obsessed with finding out the truth, disregarding her own mental health.
Miranda’s journal entries and letters create a dark, edgy and suspenseful atmosphere. For the reader, it is like watching the clock of a ticking time-bomb as Miranda gets ever closer to the day she died.
This is an exquisite slow-burn of a read that suddenly ignites. Sligar is skilled with prosaic writing; I reread many lines simply for the sheer joy of it. She also handles the difficult topic of mental illness in two different time periods very well.
I highly recommend you add this novel to your TBR pile. I look forward to reading Ms. Sligar’s next book.
My thanks to NetGalley and MCD for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.