Reviews
"This book is a marvel. With unflinching precision andimmense compassion, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich peels apart both a murder caseand 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 andwill 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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body isintricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. AlexandriaMarzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and thelimits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " The Fact of a Body is unlikeany murder story I've ever read, a masterpiece of both reportage and memoir, abook that could only be written by an author with AlexandriaMarzano-Lesnevich's staggering gifts: a relentless reporter with a law degreefrom Harvard, a poet's understanding of the cadence of a line, and a novelist'sgift for empathy. Walter Benjamin famously said that all great works of arteither dissolve a genre or invent one. This book does both, and its greatnessis undeniable." --Justin St. Germain, author of Son of a Gun " The Fact of a Body is aremarkable act of witness, an anatomy of silence and the violence it abets, abook of both public and private accountings. Rejecting the false comfort ofcertainty, it confronts the inadequacy of all our tools for fathoming not justunforgivable crimes, but the baffling, human grace that can forgive them. Thisis a profound and riveting book." -- Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You "The balancing act here performed between autobiographyand journalism, documentary and imagination, witnessing and reckoning, thetender and the terrible, is shrewd and graceful. In the hands of a lesser humanor writer, it could have all fallen apart; instead, AlexandriaMarzano-Lesnevich has given us an exquisite and exquisitely difficult work ofart that makes a fierce claim on our attention, conscience, and heart." -- Maggie Nelson, author of theNBCC award-winning Argonauts "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing isremarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that setsthis effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative aboutsecrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...Apowerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus "Compulsive, eloquent and profoundly troubling. One ofthose rare books which embrace the genuine complexity of life." -- Mark Haddon, bestsellingauthor o f The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time "The writing is superb and gripping...a moving must-have." -- Library Journal, starredreview " Surprising, suspenseful, and moving ...A book that defiesboth itsgenres, turning into something wholly different and memorable." -- Booklist, starredreview " Haunting ... Marzano-Lesnevich digs into one case that begins tofeeloddly familiar, and eventually is forced to confront her understandingofjustice, forgiveness, and truth." --BuzzFeed "THE FACT OF A BODY is excellent.So gripping and fascinating." -- Sophie Hannah , New York Times bestsellingauthorof The Monogram Murders "Marzano-Lesnevich interweaves the story of a disturbing1992 murder case she stumbles upon as a law intern with her own past trauma inthis haunting, excellentmemoir ." -- EW.com "Suspenseful and spellbinding." -- Bustle, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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 "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing is remarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that sets this effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative about secrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...A powerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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 "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing is remarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that sets this effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative about secrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...A powerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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 "The balancing act here performed between autobiography and journalism, documentary and imagination, witnessing and reckoning, the tender and the terrible, is shrewd and graceful. In the hands of a lesser human or writer, it could have all fallen apart; instead, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has given us an exquisite and exquisitely difficult work of art that makes a fierce claim on our attention, conscience, and heart." -- Maggie Nelson, author of the NBCC award-winning Argonauts "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing is remarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that sets this effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative about secrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...A powerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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 "The balancing act here performed between autobiography and journalism, documentary and imagination, witnessing and reckoning, the tender and the terrible, is shrewd and graceful. In the hands of a lesser human or writer, it could have all fallen apart; instead, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has given us an exquisite and exquisitely difficult work of art that makes a fierce claim on our attention, conscience, and heart." -- Maggie Nelson, author of the NBCC award-winning Argonauts "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing is remarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that sets this effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative about secrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...A powerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus "Compulsive, eloquent and profoundly troubling. One of those rare books which embrace the genuine complexity of life." -- Mark Haddon, bestselling author o f The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time "The writing is superb and gripping...a moving must-have." -- Library Journal, starred review " Surprising, suspenseful, and moving ...A book that defies both itsgenres, turning into something wholly different and memorable." -- Booklist, starred review " Haunting ... Marzano-Lesnevich digs into one case that begins to feeloddly familiar, and eventually is forced to confront her understanding ofjustice, forgiveness, and truth." --BuzzFeed "THE FACT OF A BODY is excellent.So gripping and fascinating." -- Sophie Hannah , New York Times bestsellingauthor of The Monogram Murders, 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, "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 "A fascinating hybrid of true crime and memoir, TheFact of a Body is intricately constructed, emotionally raw, and unflinching. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has written a gripping meditation on memory, justice, and the limits of empathy." --Tom Perrotta " 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 "The balancing act here performed between autobiography and journalism, documentary and imagination, witnessing and reckoning, the tender and the terrible, is shrewd and graceful. In the hands of a lesser human or writer, it could have all fallen apart; instead, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has given us an exquisite and exquisitely difficult work of art that makes a fierce claim on our attention, conscience, and heart." -- Maggie Nelson, author of the NBCC award-winning Argonauts "Haunting...impeccably researched...Her writing is remarkably evocative and taut with suspense, with a level of nuance that sets this effort apart from other true crime accounts." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "An accomplished literary debut...an absorbing narrative about secrets, pain, revenge, and, ultimately, the slippery notion of truth...A powerful evocation of the raw pain of emotional scars." -- Kirkus "A haunting, unforgettable memoir...stunning, complex." -- BookPage "Surprising, suspenseful, and moving...A book that defies both its genres, turning into something wholly different and memorable." -- Booklist, starred review "The writing is superb and gripping...a moving must-have." -- Library Journal, starred review "Haunting... Marzano-Lesnevich digs into one case that begins to feel oddly familiar, and eventually is forced to confront her understanding of justice, forgiveness, and truth." -- BuzzFeed "Compelling...meticulous and gripping." -- Curve
