Notes on an Execution: A Novel

Really well done but I guess I just didn't want to read about counting down to an execution no matter how well it was done. (Unfair to rate it down because I didn't want to but...) I really liked the story line of the policewoman and the debates over the death penalty but some parts of this book really, really dragged for me. Overall, good but not great.

more of a contemplative examination on people rather than a thriller. i liked the changing perspectives of the different women the character on death row knew in his life, and liked the inter-spliced second person narratives on his countdown to execution. overall a compelling story.

So many great things about this book: exceptional pacing, interesting characters, plot complexity, unreliable second person narrator. The tidbits about philosophy and the mind of a killer (as well as the childhood tidbits that contributed to his future) were fascinating to read about. It also felt respectful to its fictional victims in a way that some true crime ought to be. I would definitely pick up more from this author in the future.

I’m a big fan of books that, through character development and storyline, can elicit an emotional response—joy, sadness, happiness, excitement, etc. After reading this book, all I feel is that I have wasted my time. The book felt scattered and unfocused as it jumped around from each person’s perspective of Ansel and his actions. This wouldn’t be too bad if each person focused on developing a specific aspect of Ansel’s character OR on the ripple effects of his actions on others, but it doesn’t. Even when the author does touch on ripple effects, it’s mostly focused on Ansel not on the people he’s harmed. Each character seems to focus on how “surprised” they were that Ansel, a handsome and charming young man, could turn out to be a serial killer… but writing a book focused on the “surprise” that family and friends feel when someone close to them turns out to be a killer isn’t new or captivating. It’s something that we see play out over and over again through the news and documentaries, and I dont think we needed another 300+ page book about it as well.

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!