Notes on an Execution: A Novel by Danya Kukafka
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Web ID: 15775118Ratings & Reviews
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Profound, Beautiful, Tragic
How to best describe this book? Beautiful, yes. But the subject matter is awful. It was so hard to read at certain points. The pain, the abuse, the despair. Men being awful for so many different reasons. No excuses. Just hurt men hurting people. And on the cycle goes. Yet there was something about the way the book was written, the lyrical and profound way that the author spoke of the events that occurred. It has stayed with me. This is a book that will linger with you. This is a book that should be shared, though with the caveat that this is not a "feel good" book. This book is not easy. But it is oh so worth it. This is why we read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A wonderful study of a life wasted
Ansel Packer was born into a dysfunctional family. Abandoned by his parents at a young age and left to fend for himself and his baby brother, his life was shaped from the moment he entered the world. Notes on an Execution follows Ansel Packer as he transitions from a boy in the foster care system into a cold, calculating, serial killer. The reader first meets him as he awaits execution on Death Row. What follows is a retrospective look into his life as the clock counts down from twelve hours to zero and his execution. Wow, what a fantastic, emotional read! The author's writing is expressively beautiful. With a totally different perspective on the serial killer genre, it's refreshing yet tragic. Voices are given to three women whose lives have been impacted. The prose is mesmerising as it delves deep into the psyche of a killer. This is a book that stays with you long after the closing chapter. A wonderful study of a life wasted. . . what could have been but never was.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Women affected by Trauma
Sadly, because of a brutal father, Ansel's mother ran off and left Ansel and his baby brother to be brought up in the foster system. Now, years later, Ansel is awaiting execution for the murder of several young women, Izzy, Angela, Lila, and Jenny. This story is told in alternating voices - from the women whose lives were affected by Ansel: Lavender-his mother, Saffy-the cop who tracked him, and Hazel-the twin sister of his wife, as well as Ansel as he contemplates his last hours. This book allows us to hear from the women who are affected by trauma and tragedy, how it changes the trajectory of their lives. The author wrote this book so that we don't focus on the serial killer, but rather on the women whose lives were cut short. Tragic, but beautifully written to honor the lives lost by monsters.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved this
Notes on an execution is tragically beautiful story. I loved everything about this book, the way it was written, the characters. A very unique book. A story of choices made and how they effected everyone. Told from different perspectives each one flowing into the next and all connected.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com