Notes on an Execution
By Danya Kukafka
Blurb
Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours.
He knows what he's done, and now awaits the same fate he forced on those girls, years ago. Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood.
But this is not his story.
As the clock ticks down, three women uncover the history of a tragedy and the long shadow it casts. Lavender, Ansel's mother, is a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation. Hazel, twin sister to his wife, is forced to watch helplessly as the relationship threatens to devour them all. And Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, is devoted to bringing bad men to justice but struggling to see her own life clearly.
This is the story of the women left behind.
Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes On An Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our cultural obsession with crime stories, and asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the minds of violent men.
Our Review
"There would be no story, for these girls alone.There would be no vigil, no attention at all. They are relevant because of Ansel, and the fascination the world has for men like him."
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka is serial killer novel with a twist, the main focus is the victims and women he has known in his life, for this reason it reminded me a little of Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin.I liked the focus being on the victims and other women whose life he impacted rather than on him. The reader learns about Ansel's mother Lavender, who was just 17 when she gave birth to him. Hazel, his wife's twin sister, who is envious of their relationship initially but soon realises she is the twin with the power now. Then there is Saffy, a detective whose own brush with Ansel has left her with a thirst for bringing justice to men who deserve it.
One thing I struggled with when reading Notes on an Execution was the first person narrative for Ansel's sections of the novel. I found it quite jarring to read and I really struggled with his portions of the book. I think Lavender's sections of the book were the ones I was most drawn to and I could have followed her story for the whole novel.The descriptions of her experience of post-natal depression, and her experience of motherhood in general, really packed a punch.
"It was a specific violence, the white of her underwear. Four weeks late, then six. Lavender prayed for a spot of blood. Every morning her body betrayed her, morphing slowly without her permission."
Likewise, I found Saffy's segments impossible to stop reading. Her obsession with solving the case of the missing girls, no matter what the cost to her personal life.
"Some cases turned cannibal, devouring themselves until there was nothing but gristle."
I liked this book, it was very readable but elements of it were quite difficult to read because they felt out of place with the rest of the book. Having said that, the book was very well written and certainly delivered its message about making sure the victims are paramount in any story like this.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 28 Times.
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