Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

62 reviews

izypup's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Animal death, Confinement, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, and Murder

Minor: Terminal illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Blood, Misogyny, Mental illness, Stalking, Sexism, Police brutality, and Panic attacks/disorders

lunalorenne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

While the prose ran a bit too purple at times making certain passages sound pretentious in their reach to sound intelligent and profound, this book gave me chills. I actually appreciated having Ansel’s POV and I thought putting it in second person was an interesting creative choice. I liked the push and pull his story had on my heart where I hurt for the child and burned with rage for the man he turned into while understanding that society and the system failed him and thus failed those women. I appreciated how the women’s voices were the focus of the story and that it explored the complicated and messy feelings that they grappled with throughout their lives. The book truly explores the ways that violent men’s actions ripple out into a collective female trauma that is both unique to each woman and universal in its impact. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Blood, Addiction, and Alcoholism

lily_sutton's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

jenny_d's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Animal death

Moderate: Child death

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.

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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

avasbookmark's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Murder

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death, Stalking, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

spookymartinireads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

savreads28's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Death, Sexual violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Mental illness, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual content