I came into this book curious whether the author would make the main character sympathetic or not, and came out of it glad that she did not steer the reader into believing one way or the other. These types of discussions, I believe, are a mark of an effective literary novel. However, I was really absorbed in the last ⅓ of the book, and after finishing it, had a long discussion with my partner about the themes explored, whether people are deserving of the death penalty, if redemption is possible for people who do terrible things, etc. I was debating between rating this 4 or 5 stars, because I found the middle parts to be less engaging and also felt like the policewoman’s story leaned too far into a stereotypical crime drama rather than a literary novel. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly.

Through a kaleidoscope of women-a mother, a sister, a homicide detective-we learn the story of Ansel’s life. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him. But Ansel doesn’t want to die he wants to be celebrated, understood. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. A work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life.Īnsel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours.

Kukafka danya