Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Notes on an Execution

I didn't vibe with this at all. I kinda liked the beginning but around the halfway point I got so bored and I was forcing myself to finish it. I read many glowing 5-star reviews and while I can appreciate the though-provoking themes in this story, I just don't get the hype. It was overwritten, pointless and tedious and I personally didn't get any of the messages all these positive reviews are telling me I should've gotten. I didn't like or sympathize with any of the characters, the "serial killer" was the least interesting "villain" I've ever read about and absolutely nothing in this book compelled me. I just didn't have a good time.

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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baileyanabella's review against another edition

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dark 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

Absolutely stunning writing by Danya Kukafka. What could have been an incredibly confusing mixture of stories from the perspective of four different people in completely different time frames, were masterfully written and intertwined with one another. You begin the story knowing its ending, but the ride there with the characters is what keeps you in your seat. Also features a diverse cast, including POC and LGBTQQ+ main characters. Their representation never feels forced, it is intrinsically involved in the plot and their personal development. I ate this up, and I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. Kukafka doesn't miss a beat!

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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0

This is the story of Ansel, a man on death Row following the serial murders of 3 women. But really its a story of the people left behind, switching perspectives between various women throughout his life, as well as a second person pov of Angel as he awaits his execution.

A brilliant reflective look on the horrific acts humans are capable of. I think this perfectly balanced compassion for all of the characters involved, with out at any point minimising Ansel's crimes, or preaching any particular views.

This book did so much but in such a gentle way that doesn't feel dense or preachy. It reads very easily but with beautiful writing that perfectly combines the literary and thriller elements.

I really appreciated how it didn't focus heavily on Ansel, his crimes or even his victims, but instead gave a voice to the huge web of people, mostly women, indirectly effected by his violence. I found it just really highlighted the wide spread effect of these types of crimes. I also really enjoyed the different voices and perspectives that were heard: those pro-death penalty, Ansel desperately clinging to the hope that he is capable of good, those positively effected by his presence in their lives, and those highlighting the romantizing and obsession with serial killers. Each perspective allowed you to feel complete compassion for, in a way that didn't require you to agree, but just to empathise, and I think that was really skillfully done.

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archer3's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

This book was beautiful and superbly written. The organizational structure of character perspectives and chronology was not necessarily unique, but it was done very well and fit the story wonderfully. Kukafka's goal when writing this was to put the narrative into the hands of the women affected by serial killers, as compared to the stories that glorify white, male murderers; I think she accomplished this and so much more. Her evaluations of humanity, motherhood, fear, love, and so much more were integral to the completeness of the story. I am very glad to have read this work.

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desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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

4.75

There are millions of men out there who want to hurt women - people seem to think that Ansel Packer is extraordinary, because he actually did.

This book was amazing! Yes it's incredibly dark and it hurts but it is so skillfully written and immersive and makes so much sense, I am pretty much in awe. The cover also makes so much sense when you read it and that's really cool. I didn't give it 5 stars because of a principle I have, if animals get unnecessarily hurt or die in a story, it isn't 5 stars,but yeah otherwise I fully recommend it. It really gives you a new perspective on the obsession people have with murderers or serial killers specifically - is the murderer really the most important thing about that? Is it most interesting, what made them like this? How their psyche works? What would be if they wouldn't have made those decisions? How they impacted the people around them and vice versa?
The book is not pro death penalty or police it shows flaws in the system, it also isn't against reporting on serial killers, it is just in some ways a comfort, hope, warning and another perspective from death row as well as from impacted outsiders left behind and I think that is all it should be.

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nicirvine19's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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homebodywitch's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

This is truly an incredible work of fiction. It’s viscerally disturbing and haunting. At first, I did not like the second person perspective as I did not want to be in the mind of this serial killer. I also find that perspective really tends to feel like self insert fan fiction and can read as very juvenile. But as the story progressed and we got to experience the other perspectives from a more omniscient point of view, I grew to understand why the author chose to show the character Ansel that way. It separated him from the women that were impacted by his actions. I do appreciate that while the book didn’t shy away from depicting the horrible things Ansel Packer did, it didn’t make them into overly gory spectacles. There is animal cruelty depicted, but not the cruel actions themselves. He obviously murders women, but it doesn’t spend too much time spelling out the gory details of the killing. The spectacle is unnecessary and again, I appreciated the author for not going there when it wasn’t needed. I did find some of the thoughts of the characters towards the end a little heavy handed while trying to hammer the author’s point home, but it wasn’t too bad. It was just clear the author had some things to say and just kind of shoved them in there. But they were things that needed to be said about the state of the world and the way the whole true crime spectacle focuses on the actions of men instead of the women they killed. I didn’t give it a full 5 stars because of some things that fell flat (I’d have really liked at least one chapter from the perspective of Shawna- I was so intrigued and then confused by her behavior), but it’s really worth a read especially if you are a woman that is exhausted of the true crime obsession permeating pop culture.

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