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A review by ashleysbookthoughts
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have conflicting feelings about this book. Its tense and beautifully written, making it really readable. Kukafka uses her story to critique the US justice system as well as our obsession with serial killers to the point of often forgetting their victims. While I agree with most of her points, I can’t help feeling as if she’s perpetuating the problem, albeit in a different way.
The killer is still centered here. Yes, we get the women’s stories, but really only as they relate to him, as a way to tell his story. And, while I genuinely don’t think it was Kukafka’s intention, there’s an underlying feeling in the book that if the women had made one different choice or done something differently, he could have turned out differently. She explicitly states that he’s at fault, and the idea that one different choice/moment could change everything is a big theme of the book, but her narrative kind of feels like she’s blaming them. Finally, we STILL don’t get the victims’ stories. We get their hypothetical futures ala quantum theory, but not their lives.
The following are minor nitpicks, but they distracted me to the point of taking me completely out of the story:
1. On at least two occasions, she inexplicably uses adjectives when adverbs were necessary, making the sentence read very strangely.
2. 1990 =/= “The 90’s” A college freshman in Vermont in 1990 MAY have heard of Nirvana but they weren’t ubiquitous (Bleach had been released independently, but Nevermind hadn’t come out yet; they weren’t well-known). It’s VERY unlikely she’d have a “forgotten Nirvana concert tee.” Similarly, she wouldn’t have been “walking across campus listening to Pearl Jam” because they hadn’t put out an album yet (not to mention Walkmans and Discmans didn’t really go everywhere with us), and she probably wouldn’t have yet known who Courtney Love was, let alone dressed like her. 1990 still had a much more 80’s vibe.
3. “She travelled alone for months, breasts heavy with milk” If you’re not nursing/pumping, that milk dries up fast, especially if you’re as malnourished as that character was.
The killer is still centered here. Yes, we get the women’s stories, but really only as they relate to him, as a way to tell his story. And, while I genuinely don’t think it was Kukafka’s intention, there’s an underlying feeling in the book that if the women had made one different choice or done something differently, he could have turned out differently. She explicitly states that he’s at fault, and the idea that one different choice/moment could change everything is a big theme of the book, but her narrative kind of feels like she’s blaming them. Finally, we STILL don’t get the victims’ stories. We get their hypothetical futures ala quantum theory, but not their lives.
The following are minor nitpicks, but they distracted me to the point of taking me completely out of the story:
1. On at least two occasions, she inexplicably uses adjectives when adverbs were necessary, making the sentence read very strangely.
2. 1990 =/= “The 90’s” A college freshman in Vermont in 1990 MAY have heard of Nirvana but they weren’t ubiquitous (Bleach had been released independently, but Nevermind hadn’t come out yet; they weren’t well-known). It’s VERY unlikely she’d have a “forgotten Nirvana concert tee.” Similarly, she wouldn’t have been “walking across campus listening to Pearl Jam” because they hadn’t put out an album yet (not to mention Walkmans and Discmans didn’t really go everywhere with us), and she probably wouldn’t have yet known who Courtney Love was, let alone dressed like her. 1990 still had a much more 80’s vibe.
3. “She travelled alone for months, breasts heavy with milk” If you’re not nursing/pumping, that milk dries up fast, especially if you’re as malnourished as that character was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent