A review by ana_reads
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

dark emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Incredible prose paired with some interesting and intense philosophical ideas. Loved the intensity brought about by switching from second person to third person limited pov depending on the character/chapter.

I really enjoyed that towards the end, the narrative structure itself kind of fulfills Ansel's theory with multiple people questioning their own lives compared to worlds where other choices were made. Saffy's story line in particular, with her constantly imagining what the lives of the three girls could have been had they never met Ansel was really compelling. The difference between her constantly thinking about them and Ansel constantly thinking about how his life would be different highlighted a certain level of selfishness to me that I think was needed. As sympathetic as he is, in all the ways this book shows he does have good in him and all through his life if other people had made different choices (if Lavender had taken the boys with her, if Mrs. Harrison had adopted both boys instead of just Ellis etc) maybe things could have lead to a different outcome, at the end of the day, in this world, he ended the lives of four people for his own sake. The final chapter focusing on the lost potential of Izzy, Angela, Lila and Jenny's lives was really powerful in reasserting both the idea of the different universes/but also that, ultimately, those universes don't matter when in this one they don't get to live it. 
 

Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters. 
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