A little in the slow side, but well written and a great thread of stories.

A who done it, but we already know who done it. Ansel Packer sits on death row for murder with 12 hours until his execution. The story bounces from the present leading up to his death and the past transporting us back to how we got here, both from his pov and the pov of his victims. Raw, thought provoking, emotive. Really enjoyed this one all the way through.

Where do I even begin with this book. It was masterfully written and really thought provoking. I could hardly put this down, i was so hooked. It explores really complex ideas, such as grief, regret, loss and morality. I feel it’s not intending to give you a definitive answer to any of the questions it asks, i think it just intends to provoke you to think about what those answers might be.

We follow Ansel, a serial killer 12 hours before his execution, and three women whose lives are woven with his. This book mainly talks about choices and morality. What makes a person good or bad? Is it their choices? Or is it their potential? Do we measure a person by the bad they’ve done or by the good they have the to potential to do? Each character is so complex and expertly written, especially the women we follow. We see each character grapple with the different decisions they’ve made and their consequences. We see how those consequences affect them, and the people around them, and how each of them choose to address their responsibility for all of it. Whether they decide to face it head on or deny it.

My favorite character surprisingly was Ansel. The book tells you the kind of person he is from the beginning, the sort of person you would hate. But it also presents you with Ansel the baby, and Ansel the toddler, and Ansel the teenager, Ansel before he was prisoner 999631. It shows you his origins and how he ended up the way that he is and you’re left jumping between sympathy and disgust towards him. It shows you how choices, whether they were his or others’, shaped his life and led him to where he is now. Ansel is obsessed with philosophy and the existence of alternate realities, realities in which choices are different and therefore everything is different. Which i think is such an interesting thing for a character like him to latch onto, or maybe it’s very typical i don’t know.

holy fuck. this book is heartbreaking and dark and complex and intense. women are so incredibly resilient. i’m speechless, going to spend the rest of my life recommending this book to people.

An interesting exploration of morality with a great narration.

Interesting take on morality. I didn’t care for any of the characters. ANY. It’s any okay read not something I’d reread though.

3.5

Wow. Truly have no words for this one other than it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

4.5/5 stars. Notes on an execution is a brilliantly executed fiction about a man on death row and three women’s lives he affected indirectly with his murders. This book has excellent commentary on true crime as well, delving into how women who are murdered are thought of only as that, while the killer gets fame a notoriety. Only took off half a star because it felt like it was dragging a little in some places. Anyways, here are some great quotes: 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. Ansel was not rare or mystifying. He was the least nuanced of them all, a murky combination of all the above. A small and boring man who killed because he felt like it. There are millions of men out there who want to hurt women—people seem to think that Ansel Packer is extraordinary, because he actually did.

This has a 4.5 rating. “...and she thought how sad it was that a single bad thing could turn you into a story, a matter to be whispered about. Tragedy was undiscerning and totally unfair.” I just want to quickly mention how great the audiobook was before anything else. The voice actors were phenomenal and literally had me during the entirety of the novel. I started this book wanting to know where the author would take the main character and if she'd try to make the reader sympathize with him or not. I was really glad she didn't as it allows the public to judge the case by their own thoughts and opinions, as it gives the chance to discuss the matters dealt with in the book. There is no death penalty in my country but Notes on an Execution made me want to discuss it even so. It is incredibly well-written and it truly stays with you. As Kukafka rightly states the obvious fascination and even obsession with serial killers (even greater now with so much true crime content being made and consumed by the public), she makes sure to bring light to the victims, in this case, women. To their stories being robbed and instead substituted by the sole narrative of their murders. They are called by the public, in this story, "The Girls", ripped off their lives and their own names. My favorite character was Lavender, I wanted to cry at every single one of her POVs, and the way Kukafka ended the novel was simply perfect.

my head is still like ,, reeling from the aftermath of this reading this. though the author uses this to pose a lot of questions about execution, the death penalty, and the morality behind it, the author really doesn't shove a specific perspective down your throat. she presents you with all these deeply complex anecdotes, thoughts, and different character perspectives, which then challenges the reader to come up with their own conclusion. beautiful prose and so heartbreaking!

gaslight manipulate please

3.5 stars. Interesting book. I'd recommend this for anyone interested in true crime. One part of the book is from the perspective of a serial killer on death row, his stream of thought as he counts down the moments to his execution, and in between those chapters the book tells his story from childhood by juggling the narratives of people who have have been affected by it (his mother, friends and family of the victims, the detective who solved the case leading to his arrest). It gives voices to people who would have otherwise been ignored in favour of the serial killer. Between these narratives and the escalating fear of leading towards his execution, the book deconstructs the serial killer. It belittles the "why" that feeds into the glorification of the serial killer, and instead emphasises their humanity. The book also touches on how corporal punishment is being wrongly equated with justice, the lack of resolution it brings and change it prevents within the system.

This book was so dark, compelling, and disturbing. It's a thought-provoking read, and definitely not an easy one. The use of 2nd pov in Ansel's chapters felt so suffocating, but that made the whole book more intriguing. It's so dark, but written in such beautiful prose. It was like reading a true crime, but gentler. Unlike the usual serial killer stories, we were able able to delve into the lives of the women that were affected by his actions. It was so heartbreaking, and painful. This is such an impactful book. Despite being a fiction book, it that holds many realities, and you could not help but ponder. A very impressive read, but not for everyone. Definitely one of my fav reads so far!

Wow- never thought I’d enjoy a 2nd POV but the way this book is written is so beautifully immersive. Loved the multiple female POVs and the rawness of the characters. So so good

feeling slightly disturbed but in a good thinky way

loved how the storytelling unfolded slowly throughout his life and was told through multiple perspectives, especially the women who was impacted by his actions. it also underlined how unremarkable these sinister violent men truly are

a super interesting take on our fascination w serial killers, and how the victims lose their individuality after bc they just become “[insert name here]’s victim.” will say… am not a fan w the serial killers inner monologue. i was just so not into him even tho he could’ve been the most interesting person to read. but he was mid, boring, uneventful. maybe that’s the point.

Wow. This author knows how to write and how to add the little details. This story, I felt myself fully inside of it. From the way it was written with the descriptions of the setting to the characters mentioned, I was really invested. It was interesting how the book went into multiple different years, and featured the mother of Ansel, a detective who knew him growing up, his wife’s twin sister, and Ansel himself as the time clocked down.

5 ⭐️ BOOK REVIEW — OVER HYPE HAZARD ‼️ 💭 Warum ich Notes on an execution 5 ⭐️ gab und gleichzeitig sage, dass das Buch großes Potenzial zum Overhype trägt: 📝 In Notes on an execution folgen wir den abwechselnden Perspektiven von Serienmörder Ansel und den Frauen, die von seinen Taten betroffen sind. In Ansels letzten zwölf Stunden erläutert er seine Beweggründe für seine Entscheidungen und Emotionen, während wir auf gegensätzlicher Timeline erfahren, wie es aus Sicht der Betroffenen geschafft wurde, Ansels Morden auf die Schliche zu kommen. 📌 In ihrem zweiten Roman diskutiert Kukafka’s viele kontroverse Themen wie die Todesstrafe oder die Möglichkeit auf vollständige Rehabilitation von Menschen, die unvorstellbaren Schmerz in die Welt tragen. Dabei schafft es die Autorin, dem Leser absolut keine Richtung vorzuzeigen, sodass ich nach diesem Input mit meinen Gedanken vollkommen allein gelassen war und noch Tage später über die Thematiken nachdachte. ‼️ Trotz dieser aufwühlenden Themen ist NOAE ein ruhiges Buch, der Mittelteil zog sich sogar zeitweilig. Deshalb denke ich, dass es bei all dem Lob, das es erhält, einen Teil der Leserschaft möglicherweise unbeeindruckt zurücklässt. Das ist kein Buch mit großem Bang, um euch mit großen Emotionen zurückzulassen. Eher weist euch auf diese Thematiken hin, fingerzeigend, und wartet auf eure Reaktion.

This book was difficult to get through, though I’m not sure if it’s the way it’s written, or the general feeling of disease, claustrophobia and overwhelming sense of fear I have when thinking about imprisonment.

Good read— definitely hits on the glorification of murderers/ serial killers in the news and podcasts. This book also delves deeper into the inner motives of what causes an individual to begin to turn to murders as a way to cope or fill a void. I enjoyed this read— rated 3.5 due to the anti-climatic plot.

⭐️3.5 There was potential for this book to be a 5 star read. I found the premise of the book to be compelling and well-written. Sadly, I didn't find the book to be 5 stars. During the first 10 chapters or so, I debated whether the book was 4.5 or 5 stars. In the middle, I debated whether it was a 3.5 or 4, and at the end, I settled on a 3.5. I really enjoyed the first five to ten chapters. Instantly captivated by the book, I was having a blast. The book was on track to earn a 5 star rating if it continued to progress that way. There were so many things I was intrigued by initially, from the backstory of Ansel and his childhood to Lavender's toxic, turbulent marriage to the relationship and dynamic that Ansel, Jenny, and Hazel share. Loved how the book alternated between Ansel's thoughts as 13 hours passed and his backstory, whether it was told by Hazel, Lavender, or Saffy. It was those flashbacks detailing Ansel's childhood and background that I found most engaging in this book. Once we reached the middle of the book, as we moved into the modern day, the book started to lose its edge. In terms of the plot, I was disinterested in Saffy being the obsessed lead investigator/detective, since I thought we weren't getting anywhere most of the time. I found her POV tedious. Lavender's storyline where she battles with herself whether to reconnect with her children and her views on motherhood didn't hold my attention. Hazel's POV became quite dull and too sentimental for me, especially regarding Jenny. The more chapters I read, the less interested I became in the ending, which was anti-climatic and meh at best. As a whole, I was expecting to love this book, but sadly I didn't.

"The tragedy is that she is dead, but the tragedy is also that she belongs to him. The bad man, who did the bad thing. There are millions of other moments [she] has lived, but he has eaten them up one by one, until she exists in most memories as a summation of that awful second, distilled constantly in her fear, her pain, the brutal fact." oh. my. lord. y'all - read this now. this was so fucking good. wow. so first of all the idea for this novel, a serial killer on death row's story told through the women in his life -- amazing, show-stopping, unique. the narrative style of this was so captivating, each chapter switches not only POVs but timelines as well, and it did so well at keeping me hooked. obviously we pretty much know what is going to happen in this book, but the execution of it was flawless. Danya Kukafka's writing style is AMAZING, i tabbed the living sh!t out of this book and wish i could put at least 10 quotes at the top of this review. not only is the writing beautiful and the plot intriguing, Danya offers up tons of commentary including: society's obsession with fucked up men, the way we get so obsessed with trying to match meaning to violence when in reality, violent men are just violent men, the way we either forget about the victims or reduce them to only the crime committed against them, AND also the death penalty (which i soo appreciated). y'all just pick this up. this is truly a story about women and it was EVERYTHING i wanted, expected, and needed.