The Fact of a Body
A Murder and a Memoir
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The Fact of a Body
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Narrated by:
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Alex Marzano-Lesnevich
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Written by:
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Alex Marzano-Lesnevich
About this listen
"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
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, Alex is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as Alex reviews 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, Alex digs deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in Langley's 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, Alex is 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: Alex wasn’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 an audiobook 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.
This program is read by the author.
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What the critics say
"This book is a marvel. With unflinching precision and immense compassion, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich peels apart both a murder case and her own experience to reveal how we try to make sense of the past. 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
"The Fact of a Body is unlike any murder story I've ever read, a masterpiece of both reportage and memoir, a book that could only be written by an author with Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich's staggering gifts: a relentless reporter with a law degree from Harvard, a poet's understanding of the cadence of a line, and a novelist's gift for empathy. Walter Benjamin famously said that all great works of art either dissolve a genre or invent one. This book does both, and its greatness is undeniable." --Justin St. Germain, author of Son of a Gun
"The Fact of a Body is a remarkable act of witness, an anatomy of silence and the violence it abets, a book of both public and private accountings. Rejecting the false comfort of certainty, it confronts the inadequacy of all our tools for fathoming not just unforgivable crimes, but the baffling, human grace that can forgive them. This is a profound and riveting book." -- Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You
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What listeners say about The Fact of a Body
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heather
- 2019-02-18
Powerful
An amazing and powerful story beautifully crafted and blurring the lines between fact and personal perspective. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Narrated by the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kathy Vriesinga
- 2022-06-08
Well told
Not clinical, not too heavy on the legalese. Very personal without being indulgent.
This will help me with my story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-12-18
Complex and Intense
Enjoyed this book with no expectations of itscontent. It is spell binding, descriptive and well read. An interesting perspective on life, law and memories.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Ann Helm
- 2020-04-24
Distraction during a long run.
https://inkandspine.com/2020/03/25/the-fact-of-a-body/
I run. My choice of listening when I run consists of a dog’s breakfast of musical choices (everything from monks singing Gregorian Chants to Heavy Metal) and audiobooks. A year ago I had a wonderful season of winter running where I listened to the entire Harry Potter series narrated by Jim Dale. It was a lovely season and so wonderful to revisit Hogwarts. The latest Audiobook I’ve listened to while pounding the pavement (and sometimes breaking snow drifts) is The Fact of A Body by Alexandria Marzano Lisnevich. This is a non-fiction tale of two crimes: one the murder of a young boy by Rickey Langely and the other story about the personal trauma of sexual abuse the author experienced at the hands of her grandfather. Now, this might sound like an awkward juxtaposition of narratives but it works and is impactful. This story is a mesmerizing yet a tough listen. My heart broke for both victims. However because Alexandria herself is recounting such a personal narrative, she brings with her emotion not only word choice but also in intonation. Alexandria’s voice is filled with such sadness and resignation and at times it was difficult for me to listen. And it undoubtedly took my mind off of accumulating those kilometres.
If you’re looking for an audiobook The Fact of a Body is one of the best I’ve listened to both in story and narration.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Daphne McKeen
- 2023-05-18
Needed editing
Good story but overwritten and over descriptive. Hard to keep track of different time lines. These serious issues deserve attention and I am sorry to say I found the writing irritating in it’s unnecessary verbiage.
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