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misssleepy's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.5
I have seen this book on book tok several times. I submitted it as a recommendation for the Merc 20-Something book club and it was picked.
I loved this book. It was very reflective and it challenges how society glorifies serial killers by reflecting on the lives of 3 women that intersected with this serial killer, Ansel Packer.
The women in this story are written beautifully. They are raw and they are flawed and they are so deeply human.
When I started reading this book, I did get nervous that I would find myself sympathizing with Ansel and I was really resistant to that feeling. Having finished the book, I realize that my nerves were a manifestation of conflicted feelings. There were fleeting moments of sympathy, but also hatred, pain, anger, dismay, and embarrassment.
There is a lot to feel conflicted about. The idea of nature vs nurture, the morality of the death penalty, the internal struggle of good vs evil, the idea that everyone is loved on some level regardless of their atrocities. The authors did an amazing job of forcing the reading to reckon with all of these contradictory themes while still providing the reader space to form their own opinions.
Also shout out to Shawna for playing Ansel like a fiddle.
This book reminded me in some ways of Bright Young Women. It is very much a commentary that it isn’t the men that murder that deserve our energy and admiration, but the women whose lives were taken from them. That victims are more than their ending, that they are complex and vibrant. The author reflects on what their lives could have been and could’ve meant to the world.
The exploration of Ansel’s relationship with Blue was one of the more contradictory plot lines of the book for me. I think it’s important to show the humanity in all people, even killers like Ansel and how the choices they make can have such devastating impacts to people who do view them from a place of goodness. I also thought the juxtaposition of that relationship to Saffy’s longing for family and her search for her father was deeply touching, and a bit haunting.
I just have to complain about how often the authors described character’s breath as sour. Okay good to get off my chest.
10/10 would recommend!
I loved this book. It was very reflective and it challenges how society glorifies serial killers by reflecting on the lives of 3 women that intersected with this serial killer, Ansel Packer.
The women in this story are written beautifully. They are raw and they are flawed and they are so deeply human.
When I started reading this book, I did get nervous that I would find myself sympathizing with Ansel and I was really resistant to that feeling. Having finished the book, I realize that my nerves were a manifestation of conflicted feelings. There were fleeting moments of sympathy, but also hatred, pain, anger, dismay, and embarrassment.
There is a lot to feel conflicted about. The idea of nature vs nurture, the morality of the death penalty, the internal struggle of good vs evil, the idea that everyone is loved on some level regardless of their atrocities. The authors did an amazing job of forcing the reading to reckon with all of these contradictory themes while still providing the reader space to form their own opinions.
Also shout out to Shawna for playing Ansel like a fiddle.
This book reminded me in some ways of Bright Young Women. It is very much a commentary that it isn’t the men that murder that deserve our energy and admiration, but the women whose lives were taken from them. That victims are more than their ending, that they are complex and vibrant. The author reflects on what their lives could have been and could’ve meant to the world.
The exploration of Ansel’s relationship with Blue was one of the more contradictory plot lines of the book for me. I think it’s important to show the humanity in all people, even killers like Ansel and how the choices they make can have such devastating impacts to people who do view them from a place of goodness. I also thought the juxtaposition of that relationship to Saffy’s longing for family and her search for her father was deeply touching, and a bit haunting.
I just have to complain about how often the authors described character’s breath as sour. Okay good to get off my chest.
10/10 would recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder
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
rebecca_the_reader's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder
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
imogenlj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
When I finished this I felt like I'd been punched in my diaphragm- it's devastating, righteous and empathetic, yet hopeful. I felt tense the entire time I was reading. I want to push this into the hands of anyone fascinated with True Crime and say 'Look! It's not about the killers!' It doesn't dwell too much on anything but this is a dark book so check trigger warnings if you're keen to avoid something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Murder, Child death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Self harm, Drug abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Racism, and Sexual assault
lololoretta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
upshawsg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Besides the occasional overuse of the word “sour”, Danya was able to spin a haunting story about the impact a serial killer has had on the women in his life. Finished it in 2 days and I’m still thinking about it long after reading the final pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Rape
emmehooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, and Suicide
bee_isreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death, Stalking, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
earth2sammi's review against another edition
dark
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Every woman in this book is so compelling. Saffy, Jenny, Shawna, LAVENDER, Hazel, Lila.....I could go on. Prose was off the walls, I loved it.
I was a bit bummed that we didn't REALLY get a lot from Baby Packer/Ellis. I was also a little underwhelmed at the chapters Blue was in. Reading those chapters made me feel even more uncomfy with Ansel, I wasn't sure if he ever really liked Blue or if he was just sick. I guess he was both. I would have given anything for an Ansel and Lavender reunion. His theory was really interesting too.
Overall, super gripping. I'm glad I read it!
Overall, super gripping. I'm glad I read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Child abuse