A review by madelinedalton
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I feel a bit lukewarm toward this book, not only because I walked away without a super clear takeaway, but also because it failed to captivate me throughout my reading experience. HOWEVER, I respect the fuck out of a book that doesn’t spoon feed its message to the reader and allows each person to draw their own conclusions. There is a lot of substance to chew on here. The story prompted me to engage in critical thinking and journaling after I finished reading, which I really appreciated.

The characters felt like vessels to convey theme. I normally hate this, but I actually found it really effective in this novel. The exception to this, however, was Shawna. There are many really interesting questions that could be posed about her motivations (and how warped Ansel’s perception of their relationship was) is if we just had a bit more information. 
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