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justinareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident and Abandonment
zoebusenberg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An attempt to critique the prevalence of serial killer fanaticism in the cultural zeitgeist - sometimes the critique is searing, sometimes it is eclipsed by delving too far deep into Ansel’s mind. Particularly, I found the ending reflections from Ansel’s POV to undermine this end, but I found the following ‘Elsewhere’ chapter super poignant and compelling. Mixed results but I truly enjoyed reading the piece, prose was gorgeous!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ebreheny25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
I think this is my first five star book of the year so yay! It is truly a wonderful and reflective novel based off of how women and true crime coincide so much. I want literally anyone and everyone to read this book. This should be a required reading for real for real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
ana_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Incredible prose paired with some interesting and intense philosophical ideas. Loved the intensity brought about by switching from second person to third person limited pov depending on the character/chapter.
I really enjoyed that towards the end, the narrative structure itself kind of fulfills Ansel's theory with multiple people questioning their own lives compared to worlds where other choices were made. Saffy's story line in particular, with her constantly imagining what the lives of the three girls could have been had they never met Ansel was really compelling. The difference between her constantly thinking about them and Ansel constantly thinking about how his life would be different highlighted a certain level of selfishness to me that I think was needed. As sympathetic as he is, in all the ways this book shows he does have good in him and all through his life if other people had made different choices (if Lavender had taken the boys with her, if Mrs. Harrison had adopted both boys instead of just Ellis etc) maybe things could have lead to a different outcome, at the end of the day, in this world, he ended the lives of four people for his own sake. The final chapter focusing on the lost potential of Izzy, Angela, Lila and Jenny's lives was really powerful in reasserting both the idea of the different universes/but also that, ultimately, those universes don't matter when in this one they don't get to live it.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✦ synopsis
Ansel Packer, a serial killer on death row, is scheduled to die in 12 hours. But this is not his story.
Told through the eyes of 3 women in his life - a mother, a sister, & a detective - we discover the choices that culminate in tragedy & the impact on those in his wake.
This is the story of the women who survive.
✦ Read if you like :
-complex, thought provoking reads
-character driven stories
-multiple POVs
-books you’ll want to binge read
-audiobooks with multiple narrators
-true crime/detective stories
✦ my thoughts
I was utterly captivated from start to finish, I could not put it down. I read this book cover to cover in one day.
Given the subject matter, I was surprised how beautifully & emotionally written it was. It was poetic, insightful, & gracefully done. A compelling, unsettling, thought provoking work of literary suspense that challenges the sensationalism of serial killer stories by putting the focus on the women’s voices.
Notes on an Execution would make for a great book club read. The themes in the book beg for a discussion - the death penalty, redemption, sympathy, nature vs nurture, inherent good vs evil, the glorification of serial killers. I could go on & on.
This is one of those books that will stay with you for a very long time. I highly, highly recommend it! And if you do, read the author notes. It added a whole extra layer of insight.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, Abandonment, and Violence
music_girl84's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Violence
srutiramesh's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
geminireader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A deeply challenging, disturbing novel. Undoubtedly worth the read. I don’t think I need to delve into it more; the synopsis perfectly covers what is about and how thought-provoking it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Death, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, and Misogyny
emiliegrace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Wow what a truly poignantly heavy read. Kukafka expertly navigates the telling of Ansel’s story through the eyes of the women so deeply affected by his actions and the age old discussion of good vs evil - all while casting a scrutinizing glance at the American justice system. The women become the main characters in what would otherwise be another true crime look at a serial killer’s psyche, and by focusing on these women, Kukafka explores the depth of how they are individually affected by their own choices and the choices of others. The exploration of the way our choices splinter our lives into endless different paths was unexpected, but a theme I greatly appreciated throughout the women’s stories as well as Ansel’s own death row reflections. I found myself aching for the pain that Lavender felt at the hands of her husband, while recognizing and resenting her choice of abandoning her children in order to save herself. I found myself devastated in Hazel’s recognition that she would forever be shadowed by the death of her twin sister. But I found myself most pleased with the outcome of Saffy’s story. Her unsuredness in herself that dissolves into a steadfast and primal need to seek justice - only for that justice to then ultimately feel unsatisfying and flawed (as our system often is). Truly a masterful exploration of tragedy and its effects on humanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse
arayo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Pregnancy