A review by poetsofsweetpea
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

challenging tense medium-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

4.75

The prose is beautiful.  Kukafka is able to make you see and smell the people, objects, and scenery in the novel. The subject matter is heavy.  The political commentary is not subtle.  I would not have chosen to walk through the last hours of a serial killer’s life before being executed for fun.  But it turns out I would do it for the Book Eaters Podcast.  I was not fond of most of the POV’s, except Saffy’s. She was interesting and compelling. I rooted for her.  It wasn’t just that she was meant to be the justice in the story, but she had character and flaws that made her seem real.  I felt sorry for her, I envied her and wanted desperately for her to find the peace that she wasn’t looking for in the story.   The opening chapters with Lavender’s POV were the hardest to get through.  It was the most detailed and horrific.  There were a few times when I had to walk away from it because it was hard to read.  Some stories are just that way.  But it was necessary to understand Ansel’s roots and to see where the violence began.  That it didn’t start with him.   I like that the book didn’t try to make me feel sorry for Ansel.  The presentation was cold and felt factual.  This is the way things were.  All of the characters had regrets, but none of them could change things. I wouldn’t say that I liked the book or that I would want other people to read it.  I would, however, say that it is well-written. Unique in the sense that we are shielded from some violent scenes and thrust into others.  Protected where we could be and forced to see what was necessary. I am not a murder girlie, in that I don’t listen to true crime podcasts and tv shows.  I prefer to hide in fantasy and the familiarity of tropes.  So perhaps my opinion on this particular novel should be weighted with that in mind.  But, as far as thrillers go, I prefer to be more removed from the violence.  I like it, when it is fleeting and rationalized.  Something I couldn’t get from this book.  Even starting from before Ansel was born and a little after his death, I couldn’t trace the roots to a reason.  I wasn’t meant to.  
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