Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story is told from multiple perspectives. It begins with a narration by Ansel, the condemned man, facing impending execution for murder. The author made an odd choice to have all his narration done in the second person, as if he’s talking to himself (“You remember the Blue House. You …”). All the other characters’ viewpoints are told in the third person. Strange, but at least in his case, you can tell who it is “talking.”
The title removes any suspense about what’s going to happen – e.g. escape, pardon, suicide, a ‘real killer’ twist. I don’t understand the reviewers or blurbers who extol the suspense since there is none. The back story that led up to this point is then told by and about various people including his ex-wife, her sister, the detective who was trying to solve the murders (there are several), Ansel’s mother, and perhaps one or two more. Unfortunately this book follows the current trend of jumping back and forth in time repeatedly throughout the book, even within a chapter. I wish someone would write a novel that takes place in chronological order, at least for each narrator’s viewpoint if there are more than one.
The story line raises issues of abusive parents and abandonment, the foster care system, genetic predisposition (nature or nurture), blame, and capital punishment. The writing is quite literary for a crime novel, although that’s not necessarily a good thing. It goes counter to the genre. Overall it is a readable story but somber and frustrating enough that it’s not very enjoyable.