A review by homebodywitch
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

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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