Book Details
Date Read: August 30, 2022
Publication Date: January 2022
Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Format: Physical Book
Page Count: 306
Listening Time: 9 hours 42 minutes
Print Publisher: William Morrow
Audio Publisher: HarperAudio
Notes on an Execution Book Review
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka was incredibly hard to put down and I kept finding any excuse to keep reading it. The genre is literary suspense novel which is a tough combo to hit, but when done well can be incredibly captivating. In this story, we meet Ansel on the day he is scheduled for execution. The story is told in dual timelines, counting down to his death and flashing back to his crimes.
There are several women who we get to know, through their experiences with Ansel and in their personal POVs, each adding layers of emotion in the book. The novel lays bare the life of a serial killer and shines a light on the far-reaching impacts of his actions. It subtly asks you morality questions but never comes to collect the answers, it simply leaves you to contemplate as you turn the last page.
It took several days sitting with this book before I could rate or review it. The story and the writing are compelling – it grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. It built understanding of an awful character without asking me to forgive him. It wove together several characters that each had depth, in just over 300 pages. I highly recommend it if you enjoy literary suspense and have checked the content warnings.
My one caveat would be to set your expectations on this being literary, and less focused on being historically informative. It lightly acknowledges systemic racism in the prison system, but it is not a hard look at it, nor does it address the origins of the death penalty. If you want that book, I highly recommend Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and encourage you to check out his organization, Equal Justice Initiative.
There ya go! Two five-star recommendations in one post, centered on the same topic, but taking very different approaches. If you read either, please let me know and let’s chat.
Content warnings: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death
