The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

Un livre atypique, qui mélange habilement deux genres : l'histoire d'un crime et d'un procès, celui du meurtre d'un garçon de six ans par un voisin pédophile ; l'histoire de l'autrice, elle-même abusée sexuellement par son grand-père quand elle était enfant. Les deux récits s'entrecroisent et interrogent sur la culpabilité et la justice. Ce sont aussi des histoires de familles brisées ou en tout cas cabossées.

C'est un livre étrange, souvent sombre, pas toujours aisé à lire, mais qui ne laisse pas indifférent. J'ai parfois eu du mal à avancer dans ce livre, mais je sais que cela restera une lecture marquante.

This is a grimly fascinating, empathic, and provocative examination of the killing of six year old Jeremy Guillory by Ricky Langley, a troubled paedophile who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. Marzano-Lesnevich dives into Langley's past, exploring his upbringing and the possible motivations behind Jeremy's murder, whilst also reflecting on and discovering parallels with her own childhood, which was wracked with sexual abuse by her grandfather. She details how her family dealt with this revelation when she finally worked up the courage to tell them, and perhaps the most poignant part of the book recalls Marzano-Lesnevich returning to her family home after some time away to find that every photo of her grandfather had been removed, plucked from every frame and album and destroyed, even from her parents wedding photos.

“I found love letters between my parents, and fighting letters, reminders that we are all mysteries to one another.”

This one resonated with me on so many levels. I've struggled with my mixed emotions of the man that was my step-grandfather, the man who abused me the way so many in this book were abused. Alex felt like she was speaking both to me and for me, my own thoughts often articulated on the pages. I will cherish this book for the rest of my life. It has made me feel seen and like I'm not alone. One of the most powerful stories I have ever read. ❤️

The best parts of the book are the passages that connect the writer's life with the killer's. Taken alone, the two stories are interesting, but it's her finding meaning in the parallels between them that is truly compelling.

On a stylistic note, I wasn't a fan of everything in present tense. For a narrative that jumps around in time so much, it's hard to grasp a frame of reference if everything feels like it's happening all at once. I understand that the effect could be intentional, but it jarred me every time she used the will future tense, e.g. “five years from now, I will do so-and-so.” But it's obviously all in the past.