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A review by starrysteph
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
This is a peculiar, haunting story. We go back and forth between POVs and timelines leading up to the execution of Ansel, a serial killer on death row.
While the story is initiated by a countdown over the course of a day to Ansel's death, most of the novel is told from the perspectives of 3 women connected to his life: his teenage mother who abandoned him, the twin sister to his wife, and the detective (with a personal connection) who ultimately arrests him.
It's a sad story which touches on some uncomfortable topics – the American fascination with serial killers and the attention that is taken away from those killed or left in the wake of the murders, the death penalty, the complexities that turn a person into a killer. From the blurb, Kukafka is "asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men."
While the writing was smooth and thoughtful, I felt a sense of detachment throughout the whole novel. We're meant to focus on those left in Ansel's wake, but never get more than lists and imaginings about most of the victims. We're perhaps not meant to feel sympathetic towards Ansel (some pity, maybe? and not want the death penalty for anyone?), but the story is still very much centered around him. He's just a simplistic "bad guy". Why the heck is every woman he meets in love with him?
Yes, we hear about the trauma of his first four years of life, but (in my opinion) not quite enough to provoke strong sympathy – and he seemed to be treated well during the rest of his childhood. And since there is a clear avoidance of making him the brilliant, manipulative, monster that comes to mind when we think of society's fascination with serial killers, he instead feels ... underdeveloped? We needed more information around his writing and his thoughts. The second person POV detracted from exploring his humanity.
Ultimately it was slow, but interesting. It didn't live up to my expectations, but it sparked some interesting threads of thought for me and I'm glad I read it.
CW: murder, death, grief, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, animal death, child abuse, abandonment, alcoholism, sexual assault
While the story is initiated by a countdown over the course of a day to Ansel's death, most of the novel is told from the perspectives of 3 women connected to his life: his teenage mother who abandoned him, the twin sister to his wife, and the detective (with a personal connection) who ultimately arrests him.
It's a sad story which touches on some uncomfortable topics – the American fascination with serial killers and the attention that is taken away from those killed or left in the wake of the murders, the death penalty, the complexities that turn a person into a killer. From the blurb, Kukafka is "asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men."
While the writing was smooth and thoughtful, I felt a sense of detachment throughout the whole novel. We're meant to focus on those left in Ansel's wake, but never get more than lists and imaginings about most of the victims. We're perhaps not meant to feel sympathetic towards Ansel (some pity, maybe? and not want the death penalty for anyone?), but the story is still very much centered around him. He's just a simplistic "bad guy". Why the heck is every woman he meets in love with him?
Yes, we hear about the trauma of his first four years of life, but (in my opinion) not quite enough to provoke strong sympathy – and he seemed to be treated well during the rest of his childhood. And since there is a clear avoidance of making him the brilliant, manipulative, monster that comes to mind when we think of society's fascination with serial killers, he instead feels ... underdeveloped? We needed more information around his writing and his thoughts. The second person POV detracted from exploring his humanity.
Ultimately it was slow, but interesting. It didn't live up to my expectations, but it sparked some interesting threads of thought for me and I'm glad I read it.
CW: murder, death, grief, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, animal death, child abuse, abandonment, alcoholism, sexual assault
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts