Notes on an Execution: A Novel

There was something so haunting about the prose and story for this one. It kept me locked in and on the edge of my seat whether that part was from nerves, creepiness, or suspense I have no clue!

This book held my interest from start to finish. The different points of view had me thinking deeply and thoughtfully. I love that the author's intention was to focus on the victims and the people in their lives. How she puts a spotlight on the attention given to serial killers when it should be about the victims instead.

While you are made to feel bad about Ansel and his humble beginnings, you can’t help but want to root for him to become something more. I enjoyed seeing his story unfold through the eyes of the woman that knew him best and also barely at all. I very much liked this book and the themes throughout. It really made you think about life, death, and the choices you make that can affect your life from beginning to end. What it truly means to be a good person and whether we all have that spark of darkness somewhere within.

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.

Intense …. Good read