The Fact of a Body
A Murder and a Memoir
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4.0 • 166 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Complex and challenging... push[es] the boundaries of writing about trauma." —The New York Times
“A True Crime Masterpiece” – Vogue
Entertainment Weekly "Must" List and Best Books of the Year So Far
Real Simple's Best New Books
Guardian Best Book of the Year
Lambda Literary Award Winner
Chautauqua Prize Winner
"The Fact of a Body is one of the best books I've read this year. It's just astounding."
— Paula Hawkins, author of Into the Water and The Girl on the Train
"This book is a marvel. The Fact of a Body is equal parts gripping and haunting and will leave you questioning whether any one story can hold the full truth." — Celeste Ng, author of the New York Times bestselling Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere
Before Alex Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, they think their position is clear. The child of two lawyers, they are staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as they review old tapes—the moment they hear him speak of his crimes -- they are overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by their reaction, they dig deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.
Crime, even the darkest and most unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alex pores over the facts of the murder, they find themself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky’s childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky’s case, they are forced to face their own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, and reckon with a past that colors their view of Ricky's crime.
But another surprise awaits: They weren’t the only one who saw their life in Ricky’s.
An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed -- but about how we grapple with our own personal histories. Along the way it tackles questions about the nature of forgiveness, and if a single narrative can ever really contain something as definitive as the truth. This groundbreaking, heart-stopping work, ten years in the making, shows how the law is more personal than we would like to believe -- and the truth more complicated, and powerful, than we could ever imagine.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Alex Marzano-Lesnevich’s dazzling debut is both a frank, devastating memoir and a raw-edged true crime saga. The Fact of a Body emerged from the author's law school internship, when they was assigned to a murder trial whose horrific details mirrored events from their own childhood. Beautiful and eerie, this meditation on memory, guilt, and forgiveness packs a very serious punch.
Customer Reviews
🖤
I loved this book. Perfect writing.
The Fact of a Body
This was a fantastic book, both a riveting read but also an invitation for soul-searching. Starting the story with proximate cause, a key starter’s lesson from law school, the author, who is also a professor and an attorney, forces us to look into ourselves and others to admit that the world is never black and white but always some shade of gray. Her story peels back one layer at a time, drawing you further and further into the complexities of the human condition. The book is also a great work of empathy, quite an achievement, given the topic.
A truly unforgettable book.
Over the last year I have been watching the critical acclaim for this debut stack up, and with good reason. Marzano masterfully weaves together personal history and the history of a child's tragic murder into a suspenseful and moving true crime drama. She structures the book with extraordinary skill, haunting prose and the precision of an expert lawyer. I ached for the people in this book, for the sometimes awful complexities of life and the terrible things we humans do to each other.