“Saffy had spent her whole life so steeped in the examination of pain…what a disappointment…only to find his pain looked just like everyone else’s.  The difference lay in what he chose to do with it.”

 

Ansel has twelve hours left to live.  He knows the exact time of his death.  But his death won’t as brutal as it was for the three women he killed.  

 

Kukafka’s writing is compelling, and she paints a story we know well… a serial killer that walks the line between charismatic and monstrous.  This book details the complexity of a killer, often born from trauma, while not allowing the trauma to be an excuse to exercise free will.    

 

But ultimately, I wanted more from the book.  More from the women changed by him.  More about the victims.   Especially more about the victims.  While the women narrate Ansel’s story, it is his story at the heart.  And with the author’s goal of allowing the women to “exist beyond the men,”  these misses felt particularly big to me.  

 

While I was left wanting from the book, I was not from the discussion this book elicited with my #maliboozyreaders book club!  We spent nearly 3 hours in deep, thought-provoking conversation regarding the messaging, the symbolism (usage of the color purple and names of the main female characters), and the writing style.  This is a book made for buddy reads and book clubs!

 

Many thanks to @bookclubgirl and @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted copies of this book.  We had the best discussion this month!