“A juicy thriller”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Sun-soaked noir”
—Los Angeles Review of Books

“My favorite debut crime novel of 2020”
—Sarah Weinman

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Shortlisted for Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction

A young archivist's obsession with her subject's mysterious death threatens to destroy her fragile grasp on sanity, in a riveting debut novel of psychological suspense

When famed photographer Miranda Brand died mysteriously at the height of her career, it sent shock waves through Callinas, California. Decades later, old wounds are re-opened when her son Theo hires ex-journalist Kate Aitken to create an archive of his mother’s work.

From Miranda’s vast maze of personal effects, Kate pieces together a portrait of a vibrant artist buckling under the pressures of ambition, motherhood, and marriage. As the summer progresses, Kate navigates vicious local rumors and her growing attraction to the enigmatic Theo, all while unearthing the shocking details of Miranda’s private life. But Kate has secrets of her own, and when she stumbles across a diary that may finally solve the mystery of Miranda’s death, her curiosity starts to spiral into a dangerous obsession.

With breathtaking and haunting imagery, Take Me Apart paints a vivid picture of two magnetic young women, separated by years, but bonded by shared struggles. Sara Sligar draws readers into a web of secrets and lies, alternating between the present and past and revealing the truth about Miranda’s death through the objects she left behind. A brilliant take on art, illness, and power, from a fresh, seductive new voice in suspense.

PRAISE FOR TAKE ME APART

"A juicy thriller."
―Entertainment Weekly

"Sun-soaked noir… While it does revolve around a mystery, it’s really just fiction, the kind that makes you want to turn the pages…Take Me Apart has frequent flashes of fine art, and many passages sparkle with Sligar’s style… Sligar explores the sticky territory of power dynamics between men and women, whether boss and employee, teacher and student, or husband and wife. She threads a scathing feminist critique throughout both narratives, nailing all the right talking points of the current discourse."
―Randy Rosenthal, Los Angeles Review of Books

"By turns, a West Coast art-world satire, an erotic romance and a descent into madness [with a] gratifying conclusion."
―Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

"My favorite debut crime novel of 2020… just spot on about transforming life into art and who gets sacrificed ― particularly women ― as a result."
―Sarah Weinman

“Sligar delivers an intriguing mystery while tackling big themes, especially sexism and the societal restraints placed on women’s bodies and minds. The results are spellbinding. A raw and sophisticated debut.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[A] perceptive debut… With a cool style and fast pace, Sligar achieves a propulsive exploration of these ambitious women’s inner turbulence in response to an abusive man in each of their lives.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Dark and poetic. The atmosphere Sligar builds in the house where Kate works is superb, and the way Miranda’s papers are incorporated into the narrative is outstanding because they allow the dead artists to become main characters… A brave novel that demands to be read… Readers get a strong, brilliant, flawed woman that is a truly memorable character whose haunting voice permeates the narrative… Fast and immediate, real and relatable."
―Gabino Iglesias, Criminal Element

“What a clever, visceral thriller. A raw, unfiltered twist on gaslighting that challenges how society treats women. It made me sad, angry, and fired up.”
―Araminta Hall, author of Our Kind of Cruelty and Imperfect Women

“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.”
—Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

“Take Me Apart is an ambitious, intelligent, and ridiculously readable literary thriller that takes on art, sexism, violence, and mental illness—all set against an evocatively rendered Northern Californian landscape.”
—Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin

“Take Me Apart is such a delicious novel: perfectly plotted, atmospheric, disturbing, sad―even sexy. … I couldn't put it down.” 
―Lydia Kiesling, author of The Golden State

“A smart, post-modern book that takes on the complexities of gendered mental illness and trauma at an engrossing clip. … Take Me Apart teases out the tensions of visibility and fame versus the hidden, unseen wounds of home and interiority, and asks the hard questions of what it means to create as a woman―create art, create life, and create yourself.”
―Caite Dolan-Leach, author of Dead Letters

“Sara Sligar’s obsession-worthy debut combines the penetrating insight of the best art criticism with the seductive menace of a modern Gothic romance. Take Me Apart is my favorite kind of thriller: masterfully paced and psychologically precise, with subtle twists that reveal themselves like a developing photograph.”
―Layne Fargo, author of Temper and They Never Learn

"The 20 Best Books to Read This Summer" ―People
"20 Must-Reads" ―Entertainment Weekly
"Best Debuts of Winter/Spring 2020" ―Library Journal
"21 Quarantine Reads from Your Favorite Authors" ―Bustle
"Ten Books to Read in April" ―The Washington Post
“Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020” ―CrimeReads
“10 Most Anticipated Horror/Thrillers of 2020” ―Bustle
“24 Most Anticipated Mysteries / Thrillers of 2020” ―GoodReads
“Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half of 2020” ―The Millions
“20 Most Anticipated Debuts of Early 2020” ―Electric Lit
“Most Anticipated Books of 2020” ―LitHub
“21 Debut Authors to Discover Now” ―GoodReads
"Alma's Favorite Books for Spring 2020" ―Hey Alma
"2020 Titles to Watch" ―Library Journal
**An Indie Next Pick**

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