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classicpseudonym's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was a very meaningful read as it gave me a new perspective on murder and crime. even though ansel is the bad guy here, the perspectives and narration of the other characters that were somehow intertwined within his life added so much to this book. thrillers about murders have been done many times before, but the mind of a serial killer isn't often covered, and the lives of a criminal and the lives of the people around them aren't ever the main focus (i feel like books tend to focus too much on the criminal and his crime, almost like a newspaper headline). kukafka seamlessly incorporates these characters' thoughts into the plot, and the whole book has an eerie, suspenseful feel to it, which kept me engaged, especially nearing the end of the book. lastly, book also grapples with the question of evil vs. good and what someone truly deserves for what they did or did not do. i appreciate how this topic recurred through ansel's thoughts, saffy's investigative work as a policewoman, blue acknowledging the other sides of ansel besides the evil within him, and many more examples. i'll probably be thinking about how some things are unfair but others aren't and how and where to draw the line now. and also how the system is fucked but i have no idea how to fix it so maybe i'll just keep my mouth shut.
i will say that i got a bit bored around the middle of the book, and this book didn't make me want to keep reading all the way through. it took me quite a bit to finish reading because of this. i felt like i was looking for more during the action packed parts of the book, but it never quite got there. things seemed to move slowly, calmly almost, which interesting considering the topic and plot of this book. at times, i thought this haziness was done very well (ex. in hazel and blue's perspectives), but other times, it made the book drag on for too long.
anyway, this was a good read overall, and i recommend it if you're interested in criminal law or the systems in general. or if you like reading unique perspectives like i do.
i will say that i got a bit bored around the middle of the book, and this book didn't make me want to keep reading all the way through. it took me quite a bit to finish reading because of this. i felt like i was looking for more during the action packed parts of the book, but it never quite got there. things seemed to move slowly, calmly almost, which interesting considering the topic and plot of this book. at times, i thought this haziness was done very well (ex. in hazel and blue's perspectives), but other times, it made the book drag on for too long.
anyway, this was a good read overall, and i recommend it if you're interested in criminal law or the systems in general. or if you like reading unique perspectives like i do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, and Death of parent
nicolesorial's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Cancer and Rape
isapizza16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
Told in alternating POVs, Notes on an Execution is the story of Ansel Packer, a convicted killer on death row, and of the women whose lives he impacted, both directly and indirectly.
I don’t say this often, but this novel is a work of art. In the beginning, I found it to be a bit of a slow read, but I was pretty quickly drawn in by the beautiful writing and masterful way the plot unfolded. Towards the end there were so many lines that were absolutely heartbreaking and brutal to read, and I loved the themes of justice, memory, morality, and perspective that were woven throughout an already captivating narrative. This is the kind of book I’d love to analyze formally or teach as part of a class, because there are so many small but meaningful aspects that deserve thoughtful attention.
As a full disclaimer, I don’t know that this book will be for everyone—it is definitely literary fiction, which simply doesn’t land with every reader (I have to be in the right headspace for it, personally), and it is definitely an extremely difficult set of topics to read about. But personally, I’m so glad I read it, and will definitely be revisiting it again in the future.
Recommended if you like: literary-fiction-meets-murder-books; reflections on the meaning of justice; multiple interwoven POVs and timelines.
CW: Death/murder; domestic violence; abandonment; child abuse/neglect; animal death/cruelty; drug use/abuse.
Told in alternating POVs, Notes on an Execution is the story of Ansel Packer, a convicted killer on death row, and of the women whose lives he impacted, both directly and indirectly.
I don’t say this often, but this novel is a work of art. In the beginning, I found it to be a bit of a slow read, but I was pretty quickly drawn in by the beautiful writing and masterful way the plot unfolded. Towards the end there were so many lines that were absolutely heartbreaking and brutal to read, and I loved the themes of justice, memory, morality, and perspective that were woven throughout an already captivating narrative. This is the kind of book I’d love to analyze formally or teach as part of a class, because there are so many small but meaningful aspects that deserve thoughtful attention.
As a full disclaimer, I don’t know that this book will be for everyone—it is definitely literary fiction, which simply doesn’t land with every reader (I have to be in the right headspace for it, personally), and it is definitely an extremely difficult set of topics to read about. But personally, I’m so glad I read it, and will definitely be revisiting it again in the future.
Recommended if you like: literary-fiction-meets-murder-books; reflections on the meaning of justice; multiple interwoven POVs and timelines.
CW: Death/murder; domestic violence; abandonment; child abuse/neglect; animal death/cruelty; drug use/abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
tormerritt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A full review to come... I have to dwell on this one for a bit as I believe anything I might say about this book, just won't do it justice.
My chest is heavy from the emotions this book invoked. I sobbed. I feel like Danya Kukafka opened a giant wound. What a raw, haunting, and incredibly beautiful book this was. So intensly powerful, and the prose was just gorgeous. Absolutely a five star read.
My chest is heavy from the emotions this book invoked. I sobbed. I feel like Danya Kukafka opened a giant wound. What a raw, haunting, and incredibly beautiful book this was. So intensly powerful, and the prose was just gorgeous. Absolutely a five star read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual assault
mlindsay27's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexism
cass_lit's review against another edition
3.0
I think I went into this expecting something different. It tells the story of a serial killer from the women in his life’s points of view, but it’s not a psychoanalysis.
I’m of the opinion that America needs prison reform and I’m anti-capital punishment. But when Ansel says it, I have no sympathy for him; I struggle with the idea of even giving him a POV intertwined with the women he hurt. It’s hard to reconcile these things. The only thing I’m certain of coming from this is that these women are such strong characters whose lives were broken by the actions of mediocre men.
I don’t really know how to review this because, as *was* expected, the topics discussed are really nuanced and complicated. I think they were touched on well, but I’m not necessarily someone represented in this book, so don’t take my word for it. It was dark and hard to read (check the TWs!) but I think it provides a valid criticism on the media fetishization with true crime. Serial killers are so often these days given leading men roles when they’re not anything special, before or after getting caught. They’re not the ones who deserve our attention; the hurt they leave behind does.
As a final grammatical comment, the switching voices was a little odd - Ansel’s POVs were in second person (not my favorite) while the women were all in third person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
bookshelf_al's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism
sydapel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book strives to accomplish the complex task of unraveling and demystifying our morbid fascination with male serial killers, telling the story from the different perspectives of three different women in his life, while the last hours of his life are told from a second person perspective. It's a really interesting concept, but it takes most of the book for this to become obvious and the book shines the brightest in the last three chapters. Thriller/mystery fans would definitely enjoy this much more than I did
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Drug use, Murder, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Drug abuse
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