Notes on an Execution

Luana's Review: Book 1

“Nuance forces us to feel something - not sympathy, but something - for the devil. This state of discomfort is awful! And undeniably addictive, most good writing resides there. We need to sit in this contemplation of imperfect justice to truly look at ourselves and each other. “

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Hi folks. My name is Luana Holloway,

I was born in Italy and live in Australia with my family. I connected with Jessica through our writing years ago now, and she has graciously invited me to share book reviews with her subscribers every month. Making connections with people through literature is a huge part of my life and I’m looking forward to reading with you all. 

This month my book selection is  Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Ansel Packer is on death row. He is a killer, a megalomaniac and an unbelievable bore. We meet him on the day he is scheduled to be executed and he is predictable in all of his last day afflictions, that is to say that he believes he deserves a second chance to be good and that he will get one. He even has a book of murderous wisdom to pass on, a way to explain his horrific deeds and be admired for his reform. He is a dead cliché, walking. 

If the whole novel was told from Ansel’s point of view I would not have made it past the first chapter, but Notes on an Execution is a different kind of death row story. The second chapter shifts perspective to Lavender, Ansel’s 17 year old mother who finds herself in an abusive relationship with two young children and only one choice. From this point on author Danya Kukafka masterfully weaves Ansel’s last hours with the stories of all the women that have played a part in his life - his victims, his friends, his wife, the woman that brings him to justice. 

It is rich, layered, compelling and no matter how hard I tried to roll my eyes at Ansel, his story forced me to contemplate nature vs nurture from a myriad of angles. The reason I chose this book to share with Jessica’s audience is because of the questions we all (sometimes begrudgingly) had to contemplate while following her coverage of the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. Nuance forces us to feel something - not sympathy, but something - for the devil. This state of discomfort is awful! And undeniably addictive, most good writing resides there. We need to sit in this contemplation of imperfect justice to truly look at ourselves and each other. 

I read this book almost without pause, it is kaleidoscopic and builds with tension. What sets it apart is extraordinary empathy, a lot of crime writers fail to acknowledge both the puportators and victims humanity in the haste to recount the gruesome particulars of their story. Notes on an Execution doesn’t rely on gore to impart unease in the reader, the prose is delicate, the characters are multifaceted. 

A detail that has stayed with me are the names of all the female characters - Lavender, Saffron, Sunshine, Juniper, Hazel, Blue - a nod from the dark toward beauty from an author that obviously loves women. 

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Next month I’m going to write about Strangers I Know

by Claudia Durastanti