I just finished Notes on an Execution last night, and I overall liked it but had a realization today that really bummed me out. This is a SPOILER (this is my first post so I hope this is sufficient to not ruin the book and not have the post removed).
I love that the story was told from the women’s perspectives, but I feel that Shawna was robbed of her story, given how she made Ansel believe she was going to help him escape. I would have loved to hear her side of the story — what she thought of Ansel, why she made the choices she made, how she felt. Ansel thought she was pathetic, but she ripped the rug out from under him. She deserved to tell her story.
This realization made me feel like this was such a missed opportunity. That added storyline would have elevated this book for me, especially since the author Danya Kukafka explains that she wanted to tell the stories of women manipulated by psychopathic murderous men. Did anyone else think of this after finishing the book?
by dggtlg4
3 Comments
This is an interesting take. I didn’t feel this way when reading it but I see where you’re coming from.
Yes, I agree. I did have the thought while reading that it would’ve been really interesting to hear her story.
Yes! Just finished the audiobook and that was my only critique as well. This book gets a rare 5/5 from me so while it didn’t impact my overall experience I do think it was a missed opportunity.
I’m just so curious – was Shawna initially drawn in by Ansel’s shtick or did she string him along from the start? Kukafka makes it clear that Ansel was just another man of mediocre intelligence who felt he deserved to take what he wanted from the world. That he was owed something, and that he had some kind of intellectual gift to bestow on the world. To be bested by Shawna is to disprove everything he insists about himself, and I wish we had a chance to hear her side of it.