Notes on an Execution - Danya Kukafka

AUTHOR: Danya Kukafka

GENRE: Literary Fiction

RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A haunting read that is going to leave a long book hangover. I loved almost every bit of it. But I have a feeling that you must be in the right kind of mood when you pick this up. Thankfully, it came to me at the correct time.

Story:

Ansel Packer is an inmate on the death row. His execution is just twelve hours away. He knows his crimes, but has he accepted his fate? The book takes you on a countdown of sorts, with the story beginning at the twelve hours mark and working its way down to zero hour.

Interspersed with the above narrative are many other points of view, all from the eyes of various women in Ansel’s life. So you see, this is not just Ansel’s story. It is also the story of all the women whose lives he changed irrevocably, in good ways and in bad, sometimes both, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Ansel’s story is narrated in second person - present tense, while the other narrations of the women in Ansel’s life are in third person - past tense.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 My summary is sounding pretty bland but please trust me, the author has woven the multiple narratives together intelligently. I haven’t read writing like this in ages. Every single person has a role to play in the plot, even if we can’t see it immediately.

😍 The concept itself is so unique. But what makes it even more so is the decision to word Ansel in second person. It takes a bit of time to get used to this unusual perspective, but it brings the reader so much closer to the experience. I loved this writing decision.

😍 The genre is an uncustomary combo of literary fiction and crime thriller. The plot takes the best features of these genres and assimilates them into a compelling experience. The writing is astounding, making its mark without going over the top.

😍 There are so many brilliant quotes in the plot. One of my favourites was: “No one is all bad. No one is all good. We live as equals in the murky gray between.” This is applicable to every character in the story, and is much relevant in the real world too.

😍 The main characters are going to lodge themselves in your head. While it is easy to judge Ansel – who wouldn’t judge a convict facing execution, there are so many emotions that the plot stirs up about him that you can’t help wondering what category to slot him in: is he a plain old psychopath, or can you justify, maybe even forgive, at least a part of his behaviour? The main woman characters are also well-layered and not with typical 2D characteristics.

😍 The story goes back and forth a lot, so you need to focus to keep track of the timeline using the year references provided. Plus, there are a lot of clues scattered in the narrative about events not yet revealed. This isn't exactly foreshadowing but more like the character knows something you don't know yet, so you need to wait until the character divulges the whole thing to you. This makes for a very stimulating read in that you can't lose your focus nor skim through supposedly irrelevant bits. The book demands attention. Many a time, you will wonder why a particular bit of information is provided but every single time, that factoid is used in the story subsequently.

😍 In spite of the above, the story goes by at a fairly decent pace. Literary fiction is usually slow, and crime thrillers are usually fast. This book falls comfortably in between both extremes. Of course, you might not appreciate it as much if you rush through it. It is content to be savoured, not flipped through asap.

😍 Even with such intense and power-packed content, the author still manages to shine a spotlight on some cultural fallacies such as our obsession with criminals and their stories, the excessive media coverage on such issues, and on the unfairness of the social system for minorities, whether on the right side of the law or on the wrong side. This social commentary is handled without going over the top and without distracting from the main plot.

😍 Ok, call me biased. But one of the characters has an Indian connection. And this link is represented without using most of the usual tropes common in Westerners writing about India. Not a single mention of yoga too! Thank you!!!

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😑 The final epilogue felt superfluous to me. While I get why that content was part of the story (and it has a strong connection to the main plot), I didn’t like it as much.

😑 Some of the plot devices were a bit too convenient, but as everything else was so unusual, I am ready to let this go.

That’s it. No other complaints. This was an almost perfect experience for me. It is a haunting story, well-crafted, with memorable characters, and plenty of though-provoking points to ponder upon. Heartily recommended to be picked up when you are in the mood for something hard-hitting, reflective, and mellow-paced.

Do note, it is not a book for everyone. Literary fiction lovers will find it a treat as the writing style is right up their alley.

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group, Phoenix, and NetGalley for the ARC of “Notes on an Execution”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Trigger warnings: animal cruelty, drug abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse.