k8lynl3wis's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably the most haunting and upsetting book I've ever read.
katiebeedc's review
2.0
Overindulgent, grabbled, and overly fictionalize. It is about 75 pages too long. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author and sometimes it is better to give a memoir a little space between author and narrator.
cwalsh's review
5.0
The Fact of a Body is unlike any book that I have read before; as the subtitle suggests, it is a personal account of one woman’s life that is intertwined with the story of the ghastly murder of a child. It’s so hard to talk about it without giving away any of the specifics, but it is ultimately a story about how the pain and burdens of our past can influence our present and future.
I read several reviews of this book before I picked it up and saw it described as “painful” and “difficult.” Those words are completely accurate, in fact, I’d even consider those words soft. This was truly one of the most devastating and heartbreaking books I’ve ever read, but coincidentally one of the most beautifully written. It’s evident that Marzano-Lesnevich crafted each sentence in this book with so much respect and care, especially those regarding Jeremy Guillory. I could go on and on about it, but I cannot give this book enough praise; it’s a cross-genre masterpiece.
I read several reviews of this book before I picked it up and saw it described as “painful” and “difficult.” Those words are completely accurate, in fact, I’d even consider those words soft. This was truly one of the most devastating and heartbreaking books I’ve ever read, but coincidentally one of the most beautifully written. It’s evident that Marzano-Lesnevich crafted each sentence in this book with so much respect and care, especially those regarding Jeremy Guillory. I could go on and on about it, but I cannot give this book enough praise; it’s a cross-genre masterpiece.
theinkwyrm's review
4.0
This book is heavy and serious, weighing down my chest almost the whole time I was reading it. It is not clear cut, but messy in the ways that all humans are, both the author and the subject. At some points I felt disgust so strong I didn’t want to keep reading. At some points, rage. While I don’t share the author’s conviction that the death penalty is wrong and I actually do believe that Ricky Langley deserves to die, I have a grudging admiration for the way the author handles this narrative.
kaileycool's review
3.0
Read this book on vacation in Cape Breton. It was difficult not to compare it to The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson, a similar exploration of the relationship of the individual writer to a crime she is researching. In the case of Nelson, the crime happened to someone in her family. In the case of Marzano-Lesnevich, the crime she explores is not directly related to her, but parallels the childhood abuse she endured at the hand of her grandfather. Both Nelson and ML explore the possibilities of narrative to satisfy. I find Nelson's version much more compelling in its fluidity and thematic tightness. This was a tragic and interesting read, though.