Publisher: William Morrow/Harper Audio
Published: January 25, 2022
Source: Print – ARC Paperback via William Morrow / Audio – ALC via Netgalley
Summary:
In the tradition of ‘Long Bright River’ and ‘The Mars Room’, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life – from the best-selling author of ‘Girl in Snow’.
Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him.
Through a kaleidoscope of women – a mother, a sister, a homicide detective – we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a 17-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.
Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, ‘NOTES ON AN EXECUTION’ presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men.
My thoughts:
A few years back, I picked up a copy of Girl in Snow, the debut novel by Danya Kukafka and I absolutely loved! So when I saw she had a new book coming out I knew I had to read it…and I think I loved it even more!
This character-driven novel grabbed me from the get-go and I just loved the way it was told – we are given Ansel’s story, a serial killer on death row in the hours leading up to his execution, and three women’s stories who are linked to him and have somehow been affected by his violence. As much as I was fascinated by all that was going on with Ansel in his final hours, I found myself completely captivated by these three women. This is really their story and that is what makes this book so unique – as much as it’s a “serial killer” book, Danya Kukafka managed to make it unique by focusing on the victims and those left behind.
This is a haunting and powerful story that I know I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Even as I was listening to it, I kept pausing it to reread certain parts in the print copy. Not that I didn’t understand, but just because it was so powerful or the part was important to the overall arc of the story and I wanted to make sure I really got the point the author was making. And yet at the same time, I could not put this one down and ended up finishing it in one day…it was just that good!
This is likely to stir up many emotions as you make your way through it, but sometimes those are the very best books in my opinion. Yes, it’s a little slower paced, but there is a gradual building of suspense throughout, and I absolutely loved it. This is one book I will definitely be recommending to everyone and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this uber talented author!
Audio thoughts:
This book translated so well onto audio. The two narrators, Mozhan Marno and Jim Meskimen, did a fantastic job bringing it to life. They both infused just the right emotion and tension into their voices as needed and their pacing was spot on. It was a great audio that kept me completely engaged in the story.
