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The Fact of a Body
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Group Read The Fact of a Body Part 1- Spoilers welcome
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The inclusion of source material and the prologue introduce the author Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich and her approach to this story. She layers her imagination on top of sometimes bare bones but factual accounts of this true crime. Alexandria goes to law school and ends up following this case for over ten years; a death penalty case and one that incents her to reexamine everything she believes.
Part One: CRIME Louisiana 1992 Chapter one
Jeremy Guillory, six years old; son of single mom and pregnant Lorelei goes to visit his friend Joey in the town of Iowa pronounced in these parts as "Io-way". Greeted by Ricky Langley at the door....
New Jersey 1983 Chapter two
nine years before Ricky Langley kills Jeremy Guillory a family moves into an old Victorian house abandoned for six years in the town of Tenefly. The previous owner strangled his wife. The family is that of the author then five years old.
The narration for this book was haunting. I recommend the audio while acknowledging that the source material in the print book is also nice to have. The introduction to Alexandria and her family in her childhood is vividly told and the situation in Io-way where Jeremy runs into Ricky is chilling and sad. The terrible way that things fell apart almost by chance and the bungling of the search for Jeremy is very sad.
These chapters alternate from the year of the murder, 1992, and the childhood of the author in New Jersey. Chapter 3 1992 - Jeremy is missing, the search begins
Chapter 4 1983 - Childhood, storytelling, uneven but caring parenting
Chapter 5 1992 - the search for Jeremy interspersed with 2003 trial transcripts; the sheriff's deputy; Ricky's parents, his mother Bessie, and his house mates Pearl and Terry and their two kids
Chapter 6 1984 - A grandmother and memories of secrets and a grandfather on the stairs
Chapter 7 1992 - Jeremy's body is not found for three days. Terry takes his son on a motorbike and crashes into a train. Pearl disappears with June
Chapter 8 1985 - The family's secrets weigh on Alexandria. One is revealed: she was a triplet, not a twin. The biggest secret is not revealed.
Chapter 9 1992 - they finally find Jeremy when Ricky tells. This was a chilling chapter
Chapter 10 1986 The mother learns what her father has been doing to her daughters. A family decides to forget and prevent. Ricky is sentenced to death. His death penalty case brings her grandfather to mind and desiring to understand the author recalls her own life as she seeks to understand the pedophile in Ricky.
I found the way the stories, memories, transcripts and facts from her own life as well as the lives of Jeremy and Ricky are woven together by the author to be haunting and fascinating. The secrets in families, the denials, the pain and consequences that fester are revealed but can they be explained?
This was an interesting read that overall I found enjoyable. I had a hard time getting into the beginning until chapter 10, when her parents learn of the molestation but decides to keep quite about it and go on as though it never happened. The molestation stopped because her parents no longer allowed the grandparents to spend the nights. It makes me wonder had they discussed it back then, how different would she have felt about herself and her life.
Angela: I wondered how different it could have been as well, for the author and in his own situations for Ricky and of course Jeremy. Stopping the molestation by pretending it didn't happen and without addressing the impact and harm was cruel and unwise. Angela wrote: "The molestation stopped because her parents no longer allowed the grandparents to spend the nights. It makes me wonder had they discussed it back then, how different would she have felt about herself and her life.
"
I just finished Part 1. Gosh how chilling and heartbreaking the writing is in this book. It is very dark and depressing and not one a person can really "enjoy" especially talking about the abuse of children by a grandparent and the murder of a child. The author must have had to practically relive those feelings of dread and terror as she told her own story. I would think a lot of those feelings must have been difficult to reach and bring into the light. I was surprised when her parents found out about the abuse they didn't confront the grandparents but kept it quiet and simply stopped allowing visits to their home. I guess the message was stil clear that they knew about it though even though it was never spoken about. I do like the background of the author's own story in connection with the murder in Louisiana. I always wonder where authors get their ideas so a little background is appreciated.
I have already statted Part 2 and it is still as chilling and horrific as Part 1.
Ceelle: Yes, it is chilling and heartbreaking. Alexandria's background and point of view interspersed serves to break up the details of Ricky's actions and the murder of Jeremy was welcome but her experience of abuse was also horrific.
I sort of get the parents not prosecuting the grandfather, and suppose getting therapy for his victims could have led to that. I applaud their putting distance in place to prevent reoccurring; but to ignore and deny what their daughters went through was hard to understand.
Ceelee wrote: "I just finished Part 1. Gosh how chilling and heartbreaking the writing is in this book. It is very dark and depressing and not one a person can really "enjoy" especially talking about the abuse.....
.. I was surprised when her parents found out about the abuse they didn't confront the grandparents but kept it quiet and simply stopped allowing visits to their home. I guess the message was still clear that they knew about it though even though it was never spoken about.
."
I read this earlier. I found it to be heart 💓 wrenching.
Great summary ann. So difficult to follow this opening section jumping around. Came together a bit clearer with the two childhood stories becoming more developed. Interested to see how the narrators story plays out in her quest to understand how people can move on from such traumatic events.
I have now started We wish you a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany.
Jack: I thought the narrator’s story was very interesting as well - she explored so many different sides of the murder and tied in her own childhood along with Ricky's. She was trying to understand herself and helped us to try as well. Not a “usual type” of murder mystery (or memoir for that) I have been unable to forget this one. . Jack wrote: "Great summary ann. So difficult to follow this opening section jumping around. Came together a bit clearer with the two childhood stories becoming more developed. Interested to see how the narrators story plays out in her quest to understand how people can move on from such traumatic events
..."
SPOILERS WELCOME
This first segment covers the notes about source material, the Prologue and Part One - Crime beginning with Chapter one which takes places in Louisiana 1992.
If the first to comment -please briefly summarize to guide the discussion.
Chapters 1-10 through page 78