Book Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Publication date: November 20th 2018
Publisher: Doubleday (first published July 17th 2017)
Pages: 228

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Summary:

“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her “missing” boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.

A kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works, is the bright spot in her life. She dreams of the day when he will realize they’re perfect for each other. But one day Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and he takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola’s phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it.

Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that’s as fun as it is frightening.

Source: Goodreads

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Thoughts:

This book has been absolutely everywhere for a couple of years now so I figured it was about time I give it a try!

“Femi makes three, you know. Three, and they label you a serial killer.”

“My Sister, the Serial Killer” is a really unique story and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. This is the story of two sisters, Korede and Ayoola. The beautiful younger sister, Ayoola, has violently killed her past three boyfriends and her elder sister, Korede, has always been there to help her cover up the mess.

“You’re a big sister now, Korede. And big sisters look after little sisters.”

This isn’t your typical murder/crime story though. The relationship between these two women is kooky and the story is full of dark humour. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two and the characters were both strong in their own ways: Korede, the level headed nurse and Ayoola, irresponsible yet irresistible.

The story is set in Lagos, Nigeria and it’s immensely contemporary, with Ayoola frivolously posting on Instagram and Snapchat hours after her most recent kill. I think it would have been interesting to have a few chapters told from Ayoola’s perspective to try and work out what on earth is going on in her head, but Korede’s older and wiser mind and dry humour made for a good narration anyway.

Sure, the story is a little predictable, but this is a quick and easy read and I was glad for this. I really liked the succinct writing style and felt this suited the story well. Its relatively short length made the story more powerful in my eyes and the short choppy chapters kept the pace up too.

It’s a little bit odd and I’m sure it isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but I really liked this story.

Overall rating: “My Sister, the Serial Killer” is a quick, entertaining read which I’m glad I’ve finally got round to reading. I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters and the writing style too. It’s a strong 4 stars from me!

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See my other reviews of books by Oyinkan Braithwaite here:

• The Baby is Mine

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Thanks for reading! What did you think of this book? Or if you haven’t read it, would you like to? Drop me a comment and say hello!

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