Book Review | The Execution of Noa P. Singleton

*I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book.*

Title: The Execution of Noa P. Singleton: A Novel

Author: Elizabeth L. Silver

My Review:

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton wasn’t what I expected at all. It was so much better. I will do my best not to have any spoilers, but I make no guarantees.

I had read the synopsis and I expected Marlene to be this sweet, grieving woman who just needed to find closure on the loss of her only child. It turns out that Marlene is anything but sweet, which was a surprise. She’s a lawyer, and a good one at that, used to always winning and getting her way. Her desire to understand what happened has such a psychological base to it that I can’t go into without giving spoilers, but I will say that she is in denial of it and oblivious to things that stare her right in the face. I think Noa understood that, but it’s never directly stated.

I think that’s what I loved about this book. The subtlety of it all. I’m sure if my husband read it he would walk away with a different perspective than I did, as would anyone who reads it. I was driven to finish the book. I found that I had to know what happened too, just like Marlene. Though, for me it was more curiosity.

I couldn’t help but like Noa. The entire book is written in first person, like she’s written her own memoir. The reader really gets to know her as a person and I wanted so badly for her to be innocent. For this whole thing to be a misunderstanding. But then, I knew it couldn’t have been or else she would have defended herself during trial, wouldn’t she? Which is why I had to read. I had to know.

Thankfully, you do find out what happened. I would have been really upset if you didn’t. But it didn’t provide me with a sense of closure like I had been hoping. Not in a bad way, just in a sad way. I understood why Noa never defended herself, but I wish she had.

When you finish this book you will be left thinking about so many things. The power of guilt, the fine line of innocence, whether you can fully support the death penalty, just to name a few. But those are the best kinds of books. The ones that make you think. And Elizabeth L. Silver put it together beautifully. I can’t believe this is her first novel. I look forward to reading anything else she may put out in the future. I’m sure it won’t disappoint just as The Execution of Noa P. Singleton hasn’t.