Notes on an Execution: A Novel

A brilliant, brave look
at the ripples of life affected by one psychopathic killer. Entirely voiced by women but for his lone male voice. Just a superb book dealing with a horrible set of events partially set in motion by one awful man who talks a girl of sixteen into living with him, though not out of love, she bears him two children, the eldest is 3, likely born psychopathic, but showing signs of it even at that age, the abuse he witnessed may have been what set him on his path.The story line is impeccable, laying out the ways in which his actions tore apart lives, including the four women he killed, one of them his ex-wife, the other three sixteen year old girls he killed, without ever really knowing why when he was 17 himself. It is an unflinching look at how awful the foster care system is in this country, how horrific the death penalty exacts as retribution is, the effects one horrible man can have on so many people in such deep and unalterable ways. It is clearly written both harsh and gentle, with understanding and depth.Personally, I oppose the death penalty because I believe it lowers civilization to the level of killers, serial or not. I do support life without parole for such, almost always, men. They, male or female, can never be allowed to walk freely among the rest of us. But, that is not what this story is about though undertones of are present in the final pages. I think this a book important enough to be taught though at what level I’m not sure. Everything in it is of value and should be known by all of us. Wonderful effort, compulsive and important read.

Heartbreaking & Beautiful
Notes on an Execution is a novel that illustrates the truth of “Hurt people hurt people.” This story is so exquisitely written & internal in nature. You delve into & feel the emotions of every single character. Even the protagonist on death row has a history that, while on the one hand, he may deserve the punishment – but on the other hand, maybe life in prison would be more just? That point can certainly be debated.The focus of the novel, though, is not as much on the offender. It is on the women he has encountered along the way. What are their stories, their history, their relationship with him – whether fleeting or lasting. Such an interesting & worthy take! So often in stories of crime, the victims are simply an object of the awful deed done & the awful person who did it. Their voices are lost or forgotten. This tale reverses that.You can see with each chapter that a person has suffered some level pain & in turn, causes pain to another. Sometimes, it’s inadvertent & with otherwise best intentions but still the end result is hurt. This book really makes you think of the domino effect that one action leads to another.My only challenge was getting used to the “2nd Person” literary point of view. I’d never had the opportunity to read a book that utilizes it & I understand that it is rarely used. In this case, the death row inmate is You, the reader. After a few chapters, however, I adjusted & could see that the author wanted us to be that much more intimately inside his head. It works!I read this book last month & when I looked back at all the others I’d read in 2022, this one is easily the best! Highly, highly recommended!

Moved at a nice pace. Not overly descriptive but lots of detail. Not enough detail on the murders to be a turn off. Ending was not predictable. Had a hard time putting it down and I have recommended it to a number of other readers.

Notes on an Execution is a book that will be a marmite experience, I suspect. You will either love it or hate it, with very little in between. It’s meandering in its pace, takes it’s time getting anywhere and is completely unapologetic about that fact. It also wasn’t quite what I’d expected. From the blurb, I’d expected the narrative to focus on the girls killed, yet an awful lot of page time is given to Ansel’s thoughts, current countdown to execution and how he directly came into contact with the girls he killed.The novel essentially counts down the last twelve hours of Ansel Packer’s life. And yet it is also the story of all the years prior. From his birth and infancy, through to his execution date.A convicted serial killer who murdered three teenagers some thirty years prior, this is his story told largely through the eyes of the women closest to him. Lavender, his mother, an idealistic youngster trapped in an abusive situation with little access to medical help or social support. Saffy, a detective whose own personal history with Ansel clouds the initial investigation, yet who never loses her suspicion of him. Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, watching helplessly as Ansel’s behaviour becomes more and more concerning, yet unable to act without her sister taking the first step.Put together, this is a powerful novel highlighting just how much of the narrative is impacted by the violence. As the authors note states, “Average men become interesting when they start hurting women. Notes on an Execution was born from a desire to dissect this exhausting narrative.” And I appreciated Kukafka’s decision to turn the spotlight on the women, even if I don’t think she always succeeded. A lot of the book is still spent dissecting Ansel; his thoughts, acts, motivations and traumatic background.That doesn’t detract from the power of the novel though. It’s chilling and intense, not a novel for those looking for a quick and easy read. But it’s beautifully written and Kukafka captures the characters, both central and minor, bringing them to life on the page. There’s a tension as the clock slowly counts down and the hour of execution approaches. And whilst the main focus is on the women central to the story, you can’t help but feel something for Ansel himself. Not quite sympathy. But a sense that the odds were stacked against him from the start and this was perhaps the inevitable end.Dark, lyrical and thought provoking, this is another one of those reads that will stick with me for some time to come.

Really different but excellent book, beautiful words, put together so well the paragraphs flow so effortlessly off the page. Highly recommended.