Layman's Report

by Eugene Marten

Fred. An ordinary man. Repairs office copiers by day, works on his own inventions by night. Fred. Builds a better electric chair, patents a lethal injection machine, corners the capital punishment market. Fred. Looks for love, finds it in the arms of the Holocaust-denial movement—for better or for worse.

Inspired by the life of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr., subject of the Errol Morris documentary, Mr. Death, Layman’s Report starts with the truth and takes it where only great fiction can.

Genres: Historical Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Eugene Marten lives in New Mexico. He is also the author of the novels In The Blind (Turtle Point), Waste (Ellipsis), and Firework (Tyrant Books).

Reviews

[Babak · Rating 5 out of 5]

My blurb for the new edition

Layman’s Report is a propulsive and dazzling novel—Eugene Marten’s sculpted sentences captivate with their cadence and striking imagery. Fred Junior, an eccentric inventor of death devices turned Holocaust denier and victim of his own vanity, is one of the most enigmatic characters I have encountered in contemporary fiction.

[Thomas B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really an odd book! I believe I saw a review of this in the NYTimes a few weeks ago and thought it sounded interesting, but forgot everything about it except the name. I picked it up in my local bookstore’s summer sale based on that and the cover art, which makes it look like a spec-fic. Needless to say the first 50 pages were pretty unexpected.

Parts read like a fever dream. I had no concept that this was based on / inspired by / referencing a real person until about halfway through. Not sure what to think of that.

In some ways it reminds me a lot of Stoner, in that it follows a person who is sort of stumbling through his life. This character is less endearing.

I enjoyed the writing. I might have more to say on this after I let it digest.

[David Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisitely written, with a keen eye for the strangeness of human interactions and a weirdly funny, almost surreal ear for dialogue. The grand scope of the narrative is enthralling and engaging, even if something about it ultimately feels unfinished or unfocused. A memorable book, to say the least.

[pk · Rating 5 out of 5]

he was really at McDonald’s

[elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of insane? def not a light read took me forever and i’m not sure all the words got in my head. literally the only word i can think of is insane. good though. i think.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Know that this isn't like his previous novels except that you will not be able to shake the elements of the narrative from your subvocal chatter for long afterwards. Deserving of a re-read and probable upgrade to 5-star status.

[sf · Rating 4 out of 5]

crazy good scene setting, the pointing out of the little but crucial, emotion- and narrative-building details. crazy good dialogue too, sometimes a little bit dramatised and tv-ready, but always incredibly real-feeling. crazy good character writing--you saw all the parts you needed to see a character in and mr marten trusted you to fill in all the right blanks on your own, which i happily did.

despite all this tho, the book felt unfinished? idk. the first third or so was way more compelling to me than the rest of it, ie, once he got into the nazi stuff. which feels backwards--the bits i enjoyed was mostly exposition for the actual plot.... i feel like im vindicated in all this tho, because this book was only published after an editor returned to an old manuscript and had the author rework it--maybe not enough.

still enjoyed it tho. very solid four stars. would definitely read more of this authors work because i massively enjoyed his prose and dialogue

[alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eugene Marten hasn't published anything in almost five years, but I hope he has something coming soon. I think he's an incredible writer and will gain greater fame in the future, near or distant.

[pae (marginhermit) · Rating 3 out of 5]

No, Leuchter, no. It's not OK to gass people to death.

[Kutalp (Kutalp!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My least favorite Marten, but still a read that constantly makes the back of your head flower red.

[assaultwoof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grabs you by the throat immediately and doesn't loosen its grip until the end. I felt like I just lived another life. I cant recommend it enough.

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

So well written. If only the main character could instill a shred of sympathy. I liked the end.