Notes On An Execution by Danya Kukafka

THIS. BOOK. IS. PHENOMENAL

Let us introduce you to a newly released book that is woefully under the radar in the UK but getting ALOT of attention from editors, literary agents and others in the publishing world internationally.

The book has interwoven narratives, we follow the 12 hours before Ansel Packer is due to be executed and get an almost a biographical look at the killer with glimpses of his childhood, how the female officer uncovers his criminality and the story of Ansel’s mother and victims.

Masterfully done, it is only a certain calibre of author that is able to achieve such tension when you know part of the result from the outset. But this is so so much more than a thriller about a serial killer. 

This is an unflinching exploration of how childhood trauma and abuse can impact people and their ensuing culpability, the death penalty, racism and misogyny in the police forces, the glamorisation of certain crime, societies fixation on violence, relationships between sisters and parents, a nuanced and beautiful look at grief and what it means to want justice with a focus on the women affected by one mans actions. All of this in one book. Yes it’s that good.

Deft and propulsive, Notes on an Execution fits into so many genres, from psychological thriller to thought provoking literary fiction. We honestly couldn’t put it down. @danyakukafka is a powerful writer, never wasting a sentence, creating complex and layered characters that leap of the page into existence. 

There are some visceral scenes but it isn’t overwhelmed by violence. Trigger warnings of domestic violence and murder do apply.

We are a number of books post reading but we are still thinking and talking about it, hugely recommended by us.

~ Sophie & Chaya

{Ad:PR copies sent with no contractual obligation to review attached} Thank you to @orionbooks for sending us copies.

Order your copy of ‘Notes On An Execution’ here.