Notes on an Execution

Published in 2022, Notes on an Execution is a novel steeped in a current cultural phenomenon: the peaking popularity of true crime. True crime is a genre of media that explores the details of real crimes, most often murders. Though true crime media has existed for over a century, its modern prevalence is often credited to Truman Capote’s 1966 novel In Cold Blood, a detailed account of the murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas.

Since the publication of In Cold Blood, true crime media has seen a steady rise in popularity, from crime TV shows like Dateline to hit documentaries like Tiger King and podcasts like My Favorite Murder. Recently, a renewed interest has been cast on serial killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, with documentaries and biographies on them attaining widespread success. With this acclaim has come new criticism. Some critics of the genre have argued that consuming true crime content for entertainment is unethical and exploitative to victims.

Kukafka grew up watching and reading about true crimes. In an interview with Kailey DelloRusso for Write or Die Magazine, Kukafka admitted that she is repulsed by her own interest in true crime. “Why do we […] glorify average men who hurt women?” Kukafka asked (DelloRusso, Kailey Brennan. “Danya Kukafka: On the Erasure of Women in True Crime, Her Meditative Process and Her Latest Novel, ‘Notes on an Execution.’” Write or Die Magazine, 24 Jan. 2022). Notes on an Execution examines this question by probing into true crime culture and deconstructing the aura of glamour it assigns to serial killers. Rather than treating the murderous Ansel with morbid fascination, Kukafka highlights the banality of his crimes. She focuses the narrative on Ansel’s victims, both the women he has killed and those who survived his violence but came away forever touched by their encounters. In doing so, she subverts the typical crime narrative and encourages readers to explore more ethical ways of consuming crime-related content.